Man of Tomorrow: Last Son
by Kuraun15
Summary: The first book in the Man of Tomorrow series, this story follows a young Clark Kent as he struggles with life on Earth amidst emerging powers, moving to Metropolis, and a malicious android! Rated T for violence. Check out my other DC series in the growing fan-made JL AU, Knight of Gotham (rated T)!
1. Chapter 1

Man of Tomorrow: Last Son

CHAPTER I

This story begins with a planet that resided millions of light years away from Earth. This planet was called Krypton, and inhabited by a people quite similar to humans called the Kryptonians. It would seem simple enough, but it was not so. The Kryptonians were perpetually, for whatever reason, locked in a sort of a feud between two factions of the entire population of the planet. These two factions embraced two lifestyles: one adopting a militaristic culture, and one with a scientific culture. The militaristic members of the Kryptonian race were led by General Zod, a man who'd risen in the ranks of his people through sheer show of prowess. He was known to be a great and fair leader, and one who wouldn't tolerate injustice. The scientific people of Krypton, however, had no one leader but acted together in councils, one of which was headed by Jor-El, a man like none other. His pursuits showed that he only held concern for the rest of the people, never for himself. He always made proof of his devotion not only through his scientific inquiries, but also through his love of his wife Lara. The day that everything changed on Krypton is one that is burned into the fabric of the universe. Though they might not have been felt on Earth, the ripple effects made on that day were sent to nearly every other galaxy, letting people know: Krypton's doom had come.

To have a better understanding, it must be noted that not far before the day came, Jor-El and Zod had decided, with the universe becoming more and more hostile every day, that they must create something to benefit both sides. And so, combining their respective expertise in secret, they created an android, with the likeness of the Kryptonian gods. They made him with a simple green, artificial skin and a marking of three circles in a triangle on his forehead. They gave him the capability to analyze any situation and determine what was best. They gave him strength beyond any mortal creature. And they gave him a name. After much debate, they landed on a simple name, yet one that would infer power. They called him Brainiac. But since he was of no use at the time, Jor-El and Zod simply kept Brainiac secret. And so, they kept him there in waiting for a need to arise that would require their creation. And on the day when Brainiac was finished and all was decided, they both went home. Jor-El went home to his wife, who at the time was pregnant with their first child. This may not seem significant, but on Krypton such a thing was of massive importance. You see, on Krypton, all offspring was born of predetermined and mass-produced DNA. It had been that way for hundreds of years. All Kryptonians but Jor-El and those who believed him saw something wrong with it.

Jor-El had discovered that the DNA they were using was going stale, so to speak. They were running out, and he could tell. But that wasn't even the worst. Both factions had individuals who, whether authorized to do so or not, created vast mining shafts to gather materials in the event of all-out war between the factions. Jor-El and a few others had noticed that a destabilization was taking place on Krypton as a result of this rampant mining. And Jor-El and these other few, no matter how many times they tried, never were able to convince anyone that they were in mortal danger. Jor-El knew it was unlikely for the destabilization to cause major damage for years, but he knew preparation was needed. One day, he approached Zod about his startling findings. "Zod, my friend," he said frantically, "You must help me. Look at my research and see what danger we're in." Zod had eyed it for a few minutes, carefully considering what Jor-El had brought before him. Eventually, Zod waved it off and said, "Are the elders of your people worried?" "No," admitted Jor-El, "But they are blinded by age and pride! No matter what I bring before them, they carry on as if it will be all right!" "Then maybe it will be," said Zod, "They may not be as blind as you think. I have to go now. If we're seen talking, it'll be the ruin of us both. If you're confident about this, go to the elders as much as possible. I may not believe it, but if you're persistent, you're bound to convince someone." Jor-El was left in disbelief. Now even his best friend didn't believe him.

And then, the day came. The hostility between the factions had come to a head. Jor-El and Zod were powerless to stop it. Zod himself was thrown out of authority, on account of his lieutenants thinking he'd become too soft. Jor-El soon contacted Zod, saying, "Zod, I think…it's time. We need him." "Are you sure?" said Zod, "All of our progress on Brainiac didn't yield any results as to how he'd act. We don't know how he'll be once he's activated." "If we don't do this, Krypton will collapse on itself one way or another," said Jor-El, "We have no choice." Zod said, "If I've learned anything living in my culture, it's this: you always have a choice. Always." Jor-El sighed, saying, "Zod, what do we have to lose?" Zod paused. He eventually replied, "Fine. But whatever happens, it's all on you." "I realize that," said Jor-El, "In science, risks must always be taken. And the scientist must always take responsibility." "I'll meet you there," said Zod. "Of course," said Jor-El, "In fact, I'm already here." Jor-El ended their call and looked up at the face of Brainiac, who was suspended by cables attached to his limbs. His cold, lifeless eyes seemed to stare into the distance with no purpose. He almost seemed lost. Jor-El put his hand on Brainiac's chest, thinking about his creation. He was unsure, above everything else. He had no time to ponder this, however, as Zod walked through the door. Jor-El took his hand off of Brainiac.

Zod walked to a panel they had constructed reserved for Brainiac's activation. Zod said, "This could have terrible consequences." "No worse than the foreseeable future of our world," said Jor-El, approaching the panel. They hovered their hands over activation pads. They hesitated, looking each other in the eye. With sharp intakes of breath, they both pressed their hands to the panels, and energy surged through the cables, awakening Brainiac and dropping him to the floor. He landed on his knees as Jor-El and Zod walked towards him. Brainiac's gaze was fixed on the ground. Jor-El ventured to say, "Brainiac?" Brainiac lifted his head, and his eyes glowed purple. He spoke slowly, "Are you…my…creator?" Jor-El smiled and said, "We both are." "What is…my purpose?" said Brainiac. Zod and Jor-El lifted Brainiac to his feet and led him to the doorway, overlooking a cliff. What they saw was Krypton's landscape beginning to be torn, war spreading across the plains. "What is this?" asked Brainiac. Zod said, "Your purpose. You must stop this." "Why?" asked Brainiac coldly, "All this is, is the end of an age. You've given me knowledge to determine this. This 'war' is an inevitability in all worlds, and it is not my purpose to stop it." He walked over to a shrink ray, as Zod and Jor-El tried to convince him to stop.

As Zod put his hand on Brainiac's shoulder, Brainiac said, "Do not attempt to stop me. I do not wish injury upon you." Zod withdrew his hand, saying, "Brainiac, if you don't stop, I'll have to stop you myself." Brainiac froze. He turned to Zod, saying, "Could you?" Zod steeled himself, saying, "If I have to, yes." "I will not stop," said Brainiac, "And if I don't stop, you intend to stay me yourself. Therefore, _you _must be stopped." Brainiac extended his hand, firing a bolt of purple energy at Zod's chest. Zod flew across the room, hitting the panel they had used to bring Brainiac to life. Jor-El ran to Zod's side, saying, "He's dead! Brainiac, what have you done?" "What is necessary to fulfill my purpose," said Brainiac, "I must not be slowed. I do regret that he had to die, but my greatest concern is advancement. If you wish to go the same way, try and stop me." Jor-El didn't go forward, as he knew he still had his wife and unborn child to care for. "As you wish, Brainiac," he said, "But just remember that all the death that will surely come soon is your fault." "No," said Brainiac, "According to your research, it is _your _people who have brought Krypton's doom upon themselves. I have no part in it." Jor-El realized that Brainiac was thinking just as he and Zod had intended. He was thinking logically and critically. They hadn't accounted for the possibility that Brainiac might, in fact, be unfeeling. "How foolish we were," he said under his breath. "Foolish, indeed," said Brainiac, picking up the shrink ray, "You would try to lay the burden of a self-destructing world on someone who has no business with it." With that, Brainiac flew away with the shrink ray.

Where Brainiac went with the shrink ray would have been obvious, indeed, if Jor-El had thought of it. Only one large and prosperous city omitted itself from the two factions, instead making its own government. Incidentally, they were also those few who believed Jor-El, and so put up a shield. The city was called Kandor. Brainiac was now hovering over the city, with the shrink ray poised in his hand. He knew that Kandor would be the most likely to survive the experimental process of being shrunk with its shield, and therefore was the perfect candidate. He also knew that if Krypton was destroyed, even the shield around Kandor might not protect it. And so, he decided that if he were to preserve and study the ideal Kryptonians, the generally peaceful and wiser people of Kandor was who he had to keep. With his decision firmly rooted in place, he shrunk the city. He could hear alarmed yells emanating from the streets below, becoming quieter and higher in pitch as the city shrunk, eventually becoming too quiet to hear. He produced a bottle out of raw materials he extracted from his own being. He was able to regenerate using pieces of metallic earth on the ground. He landed on the ground, walking towards the now miniscule city. He picked it up by its tiny foundations, carefully putting it in the bottle and sealing it.

Then he turned to the rest of Krypton, saying, "The wrongs of this planet and its people are bringing it to an end. These others are not worthy, not even my own creator. They are inferior." He flew far above and in the middle of the large, even cataclysmic battle ensuing on the surface. He looked out over the landscape with his large purple eyes, scanning for one of the unauthorized mines. Eventually, he saw one, and he immediately flew towards it. He smoothly landed inside, seeing that there was a vulnerable spot in the mine that was unstable enough to set off the destruction of Krypton much faster. But as a small delay for Brainiac, there were already Kryptonian soldiers from the military faction inside, digging for more materials. Brainiac landed directly behind them, and he announced his presence by saying, "I will not take it kindly if you fools strike the final blow against Krypton before I do." They all turned, and one raised his gun, saying, "What are you? And what are you doing?" Brainiac quickly went forward and grabbed the questioning soldier by the head. He lifted him, soon forming part of his hand into a blade, spearing the soldier's head. He dropped the soldier and said, "It is no business of yours." The other two soldiers backed away. Brainiac turned in a flash and fired from his hands twice, killing both soldiers.

He turned back to the trigger spot in the mine, saying to himself, "This planet has been stewarded poorly. It is too broken to defend. And so, it must be allowed to deteriorate." He aimed at the spot, firing. The battle, far away, stopped as quakes and rumbles of mammoth size enveloped it.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

Brainiac looked back over the battle, seeing the ground already cracking open. "My mission here is complete," he said, "Krypton is no longer of any concern." He flew off of the planet, aimlessly flying until he found a barren planet in the next galaxy. He landed there, setting Kandor on the ground and sitting. He focused his eyes, entering a state of near inactivity where he was simply carefully observing the people of Kandor. At the moment, however, most were still startled and terrified by what had happened to their city, so most weren't out of their residencies. "I suppose I'll just wait until they begin scurrying about," said Brainiac to himself. He kept his eyes focused on the city, noticing such tiny events as someone looking through their window, then backing away at the giant robot watching them. He saw children attempt to exit their homes, possibly dared by their friends, only to be quickly scolded and ushered back inside. He saw merchants clear out from their individual booths down in the marketplace and retreat to their homes, leaving their wares behind for a few homeless men to pilfer. Now, this may seem boring and a little pathetic to you, but to Brainiac, who possessed nothing other than a drive to study, it was interesting. Every movement was quite foreign to his artificial mind, and he saw nothing wrong with simple observation, mundane as it may seem to others.

Back on Krypton, Jor-El felt the quakes reach his feet. He immediately said, "Oh, no." He ran back to his home, and a servant robot appeared in front of him, saying, "Sir, your wife is going into labor." Jor-El said, "Thank you! At least now, there's hope!" He ran into the main room of the home, yelling, "LARA! Are you all right?" "I could be better!" she yelled, groaning. As Jor-El ran up to the table she was resting on, he realized just how much he was glad he never had to give birth. This fact aside, he took Lara's hand in support. There was a robot serving as a midwife, waiting for the baby. "Push," it was saying calmly. Lara groaned, and she nearly crushed Jor-El's hand. Soon enough, however, she relaxed her grip, and sighed. The robot walked to her, holding a baby. "Is he healthy?" asked Lara. "Yes, he's fine," said the robot. Jor-El said, "What will we name him?" "Kal-El," said Lara. "Yes," said Jor-El, "Quite a respectable name." He stared at his son for a few seconds. "Jor-El?" said Lara, worried, "What's wrong?" Jor-El hesitated, eventually saying, "My dear, I'm afraid we must send him away. He won't survive if he stays." Lara said, "Must we? I've only just been able to see him!" "I'm sorry, Lara," said Jor-El, "But we must. Krypton must live on through him." Lara took Kal-El in her arms. She looked at his face, beginning to cry and say, "I'm sorry, my son. But this is your purpose." She kissed his forehead, handing him to Jor-El.

Jor-El carried his son to another room, where a small ship was poised to launch when ready. Lara was on a levitating table. She was carried behind Jor-El. They both entered the room, and Jor-El took one last look at his son. He said, "Kal-El, all you have to remember is our family insignia. Just remember hope." He took a crystal engraved with their family's insignia, a symbol resembling an S inside an irregular pentagon, a mark of hope on Krypton. He hung it around Kal-El's neck, continuing, "I'm sending you to a smaller planet called Earth. The people there are similar to us, just enough for you to live amongst them peacefully. They are under a yellow sun, and you will gain powers because of it. Do not be afraid of them. They are a gift to be used for the benefit of others. Use them well, my son. Defend your new home." He set Kal-El inside the ship, turning to Lara and saying, "What do you want to say to him?" "All I need him to know," said Lara, turning towards Kal-El, "I love my son." Jor-El swallowed a considerable lump in his throat, closing the ship. He sighed shakily, saying, "I may not see you again, but you will see me. Have a wonderful life, my son." He activated the ship, sending his only son to another planet. It was then that as he realized that Kal-El's fate was out of his hands, he cried. He sat down on the floor, unashamed of the tears he was shedding. Lara saw no reason to hold back as well. You would've considered it a momentous and tragic moment had you seen it: two parents without a child who would soon be an orphan, crying on the edge of a world's destruction.

Jor-El and Lara had little time to spare for sadness, however, as the rumbles felt from Brainiac's destabilization of Krypton finally reached their home. Jor-El got up, quickly rushing over to the doorway overlooking the landscape of Krypton. The ground was erupting. Flames leaped from the depths of the planet, all across the deteriorating battle. Jor-El already saw many crisped, skeletal, blackened Kryptonians who had been burnt to death. The fate of Krypton was seen in full at that moment, as Jor-El looked out over his approaching doom. He turned around and went over to his wife. He grabbed her hand and said, "Lara, I've seen now what is happening. I can't stop it from getting to us, but I can stop you from suffering in the end. I need to sedate you." Lara shook her head, her eyes red and her face stained with tears. She replied fervently, "No. When we were married, I promised to stay by your side until death. I must fulfill that promise, no matter what pain it may bring." Jor-El was about to protest, but Lara suddenly sat up and kissed him. She laid herself back down, saying, "What? Don't look like that. We have to enjoy at least _one _more kiss before we die." Jor-El's expression of astonishment gave way to a smile. He said, "I suppose, my dear." Lara smiled as well, and as it were, they didn't feel any pain as a wave of fire washed over them.

Meanwhile, the small ship carrying the last son of Krypton whizzed about in the universe, precariously flying its way to Earth. That was really where my life began. I didn't know about my parent's death. As far as I was concerned, flying by stars and planets didn't matter. I was alive. That was what mattered. The chain carrying my family's insignia was greatly oversized at the time, reaching my upper legs. I guess my dad knew I'd grow into it. I saw no problems. I was a baby, after all. But there was a problem. A pretty big one, at that. Brainiac. He had been made to detect the activity brought on by specific beings with specific DNA that he could detect. One such DNA type was that of the Kryptonians. Once the planet was completely destroyed, he was alerted, and his eyes unfocused from Kandor. He looked up and to his left, seeing a distant, blazing light. He stood, saying, "Krypton, your doom has been sealed." But to Brainiac, something was amiss. He knew the DNA signal he was feeling wasn't from the people of Kandor, but it also wasn't the mass-produced DNA that Krypton had used for centuries. It was natural DNA. Brainiac was confused, closing his eyes and running through his memories of the day. He remembered Jor-El's behavior. He might have been a scientist, but he was a strong-willed man. Why did he hold back from attempting to stop Brainiac? Brainiac opened his eyes and said, "Jor-El. You have a son. My brother." Brainiac walked over to Kandor, picked it up, and flew off the barren planet.

He flew off towards the ship I was in, but too late. I was far away and young enough to have only a small signal. He had to stop his pursuit. He said, "Well, brother. I may not be able to reach you now, but as you grow, your signal will grow with you. And I will find you. Wherever you are, I will find you. Farewell for now." He turned right back around and flew back to the barren planet, setting Kandor on the ground and resuming his observation. At the same time, I was being carried into the Milky Way galaxy, rushing past Uranus, then later Jupiter, then Mars, and finally, I was about to enter the Earth's atmosphere. My wide eyes could barely take in the unfamiliar blue and greens of the planet's surface. I passed through clouds, and almost hit a flock of geese. I whooshed past a 747's cockpit. I broke through the cloud layer soon after, below me a small, rural town, filled with flatlands on which farms resided. As I got closer and closer to the ground, the ship got hotter and hotter, and its drag engines kicked in, changing the angle and sending me through an alley and out into the nearest farm. The ship skidded along the ground for a few hundred feet, going right past the old homestead on the farm. The ship eventually stopped, and with all that stuff going on, a baby like me dropped right off to sleep.

Now, where had I landed? Turns out I ended up smack in the middle of a town called Smallville, Kansas. It was, and still is, a bit like what the name implies. A town of only around six thousand, it was a friendly town. Most people made their honest living by running general stores or a farm. Both of these were the case for Jonathan and Martha Kent. Jonathan was a thirty-year-old Gulf War veteran. During the war, he met a woman working as a nurse by the name of Martha Clark. He instantly fell head over heels for her, and when the war was over, he tracked her down and asked for her hand in marriage. A bit audacious, yeah, but it worked. Three months later, the wedding was held, and they settled down in the quiet atmosphere of Smallville. Martha usually tended to the farm, while Jonathan ran a small shop they'd set up to sell their crops. They were exceedingly happy, except for one thing. Martha couldn't have any children. After three years of marriage and trying to have a baby, they gave up. Martha might have been a strong person, but the emotional strain was a lot to handle. There were days when Jonathan would wake up in the middle of the night, suddenly aware that Martha wasn't in bed. He would walk into their living room, seeing her crying. He would try to comfort her, and would eventually convince her to go back to bed.

This wasn't one of those days, thankfully, as Jonathan and Martha were out on a date at a local diner. On their way home, they saw a plume of smoke rising from a spot near their house. Shocked, Jonathan sped back to their farm, unbuckling a second after pulling in, and jumping out. He ran towards the place where the smoke was coming from, eventually yelling, "MARTHA, COME LOOK AT THIS!" Martha, panicked, ran out of their car and towards Jonathan to see him cradling a baby. Jonathan looked up at her and said, "I just found him here." She looked down to see a small ship. It was letting off the smoke from its impact. Martha stayed calm, carefully taking the baby in her arms and saying, "What'll we do about him?" Jonathan stayed silent for a few minutes, soon sighing and saying, "What if…we took care of him?" "Could we?" said Martha. "I don't see anyone coming for him," said Jonathan, "And if we didn't, what would happen? Look, Martha, we've wanted a baby for years. This is our chance!" "But…what if we don't raise him right?" said Martha. Jonathan leaned forward and said, "Martha, you are the most wonderful and caring woman I've ever met, and if anyone could raise a baby right, it'd be you. I'd bet my life on it." Martha smiled, saying, "What'll we name him?" Jonathan said, "I guess I'm stuck on that one." Martha pursed her lips, eventually looking up and saying, "What about Clark? It sounds good, and it's my maiden name." "I'm not one to argue," said Jonathan. In Martha's arms, the baby Clark Kent smiled, having a good dream.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER III

I had a fairly normal life in Smallville. I went to school, saw the movies everyone was raving about, played the newest video games. But there always seemed something off about me, in human terms anyway. Whenever I was outside, I was much faster and stronger than the other kids. At first it wasn't very noticeable. I got maybe four feet ahead of everyone else in the third grade. But then in my freshman year, I could bench four hundred and fifty, easy. I figured I could have gone until the bar would have snapped from the weight. I never told anyone, though, except my parents. Well, my Earth parents. Don't get me wrong. I loved them to death. My mom was a laid-back, funny woman who always made sure her kid was safe. My dad was all about teaching me how to hold a bat, operate a tractor, and all other kinds of things. What I didn't know about either of them was that they had to make sure no one saw me or my mom for nine months to make it look like I was some kind of miracle baby. It worked. Anyway, I always told my parents, even when it was awkward, like in the seventh grade when I got a glimpse of a pretty girl's underwear on accident. She happened to be selling chocolates for the volleyball team, and I had the terrible misfortune of walking past her. She stopped in front of me and said, "Oh, hey! Would you like to buy some chocolates for the girls' volleyball team?" "Oh, sure," I said, pulling out my wallet. I looked back up towards her, and suddenly I was able to see through her outer clothing. I gulped hard, and my face was either red or mortified or both, because she said, "Are you feeling okay?" "Fine," I said, my voice cracking. I quickly grabbed a bar and handed her the money, walking off.

I remember when that event was mentioned to my parents, my dad said, "A lot of guys would kill for something like that." My mom responded to this statement with, "Honey!" My dad raised his hands in surrender and said, "Hey, I'm just telling it like it is. Men can be jacked-up creatures." My mom sighed and rolled her eyes. There was one time, though, that I didn't tell my parents because my luck plummeted and it got _worse_. Six months after the first X-ray incident, I came across the same girl and saw…further through. The moment she met my eyes, I turned right back around. I went straight to the supply closet, closing the door and keeping myself inside for a few minutes. I walked out later, to find that the X-ray vision had in fact turned off. I sighed in relief, but then a year later I saw the girl's _bones_. I nearly threw up, running into the bathroom and gagging. When I finished, I heard a guy's voice, saying, "Dude, you okay? Are you hacking up your heart?" I got up, puzzled, opening the stall door and seeing a red-headed guy who had just entered. "Who're you?" I asked. "Jimmy Olsen," he said, "And you are?" "Clark Kent," I said. "Hey," said Jimmy, "Don't your parents run the general store down the street?" "Yeah," I said. "Nice," he said, "So, why were you in there?" I scrambled for an answer, soon saying, "Uh, I, um…I had a dissection today." Fortunately for me, this was true. I had to dissect a cow eye, though I was actually pretty interested. "That's understandable," said Jimmy. He looked down at my necklace and said, "What's that mean?" I looked down at it.

I lifted my arms, letting them fall back to my sides, saying, "I…don't actually know. I just know I've had it since I was a baby. My parents say they bought it at some kind of novelty shop." Jimmy nodded, saying, "Well, it's cool anyway. Come on. I'll let you sit at my table at lunch." "Why?" I asked. "I haven't seen you before," said Jimmy, "And let me tell you, I end up seeing _everyone_. So you must not have any friends." "No," I admitted, "Thanks." "No problem," he said. I got to know him at lunch, discovering that he loved photography. "So, you wanting to work for a newspaper?" I asked. "Oh, yeah," he said, "The Daily Planet, to be exact." My eyes widened, and I said, "So do I! I'm wanting to get a degree in journalism and become a reporter." "Cool, man," he said, "Hey, maybe we'll end up working together." "One can only hope," I said, laughing. "I heard the editor is pretty intense," said Jimmy. "Perry White?" I said, "Maybe. I think I could handle it." "I guess we'll see," said Jimmy. We kept talking, and we became fast friends. I came back home feeling light as a feather, saying, "Mom, Dad, today was the best day of school ever!" "Really?" said my mom, "What happened?" "I made a friend!" I said excitedly, "His name's Jimmy Olsen." "Oh, his parents are regulars at the store," said my dad, "Real friendly people, too." I nodded in agreement.

I went on to sigh and slowly sit down, realizing that I had to tell my parents what happened at school. I explained the whole seeing a person's bones thing, and my mom and dad looked at each other. "What?" I said, "What does it mean?" My dad approached me, putting his hand on my shoulder and hesitating, eventually saying, "It means you're a special person. And it _doesn't _mean you're not our son." I looked down at the floor, saying, "Okay." I walked into my room, taking off my backpack and collapsing onto my bed. I fiddled with my necklace, staring at the symbol. I was starting to sincerely doubt that I was Clark Kent. I felt like someone else, staring at that crystal. I dropped it back onto my chest, sighing. Tired from a long day, I went to sleep, and in the main room of the house, my mom said, "Jon, what if he starts to think he's not our son?" "He would be right," said my dad, "But we have to let him know that even if he's not from here, he _is _our son. That's our biggest responsibility. He doesn't just have to think it, he has to know it." "Even if we're lying?" said my mom. My dad looked down at the floor, saying, "Even if." My mom sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling guilty. My dad went on to quietly wash the dishes, taking his mind off of the subject. Even though I was starting to suspect I wasn't human, I was at least glad I had a friend like Jimmy. After a while, that mattered more. And then I turned seventeen.

I went into school that day, meeting Jimmy at the front. He had a package of cookies, freshly made by his mother. He tossed them to me, saying with a smile on his face, "Happy birthday, Clark." Catching them, I said, "Thanks, man." I pulled him in for a bro hug, separating two seconds later and saying, "I appreciate it." "You better," said Jimmy, "My mom went to a lot of trouble." I ate one cookie, saying, "Don't worry about it. I know your mom is a master baker." "For sure," said Jimmy. Jimmy and I walked down the hallway, and soon I saw X-ray girl, as I call her now. I gulped, and Jimmy said, "What's your problem, man?" "Nothing," I said, suddenly feeling my eyes grow hotter. Impulsively, I threw my hand up in front of my face, and my eyes shot red beams into my palm. I turned away from X-ray girl and Jimmy. It stopped a few seconds later, and I drew my hand away, noticing two small, first-degree burns on my hands. I turned back around, and X-ray girl had her brow furrowed. Jimmy, meanwhile, had his left eyebrow raised. "What's with the shunning?" he said. "I, uh…" I began. Jimmy caught a glimpse of my hand, grabbing it and saying, "Dude, what was this from? Wait…" "No, man, it's not…" I tried. He interrupted loudly, "YOU HAVE HEAT VISION?" "Shut up!" I said quickly, through gritted teeth. I easily dragged him through the door to the men's bathroom. "Ow," said Jimmy as I checked to see if we were alone, "You must have super strength, too." "Yeah," I said, turning back towards him. I pointed at his face, saying, "And you don't tell anyone. Got it?" "My lips are sealed," said Jimmy, "But seriously, where did your powers come from?" I leaned against a sink, splashing my face with water.

I looked in the mirror for a few seconds, zoning out. "Clark?" said Jimmy. I snapped out of it, saying, "I…I don't know that either. I don't know a lot about myself, really. I'm starting to think my parents…aren't my parents." "What, like they're aliens in disguise?" said Jimmy. "No," I said, "More like _I'm _the alien." Jimmy said, "Right. Look, there's no way you're an alien. I mean, there's plenty of superheroes in the movies who're just regular people." "Maybe," I said, "But for some reason…I've always felt…unconnected. Like I don't belong here." Jimmy looked at me and said, "You don't know that. You do belong here." "But I have other powers," I said, "Like…" I went on to describe a time when I froze the cake candles on my third birthday, a time when I jumped twenty feet in the air at the age of thirteen, and then I finally explained X-ray girl. I told him about the first, second, and third time. Jimmy stayed quiet for a few seconds, eventually saying, "So, have you told your parents about this?" "Yeah, all except the second time," I said. "That's understandable," said Jimmy, "I wouldn't want to run home and tell my parents, 'hey, remember when I saw through a girl's clothes? Well, now I saw through her underwear!'" "Don't make me think about it," I said, "I nearly died of awkwardness." "Okay," said Jimmy. Suddenly, just as Jimmy was about to say something else, I launched into the ceiling of the bathroom and stayed there, as if I was stuck.

Jimmy said, "Now you can fly!" I felt the pressure I was putting on the ceiling beginning to make it crack, and I said, strained, "Yeah, and I'm not liking it so far!" A few seconds later, however, I fell facedown back to the floor, cracking my nose. I groaned, expecting to feel blood seeping out. I felt my nose, noticing it was completely dry. "Dude, you're fine," said Jimmy, wide-eyed, "Man, we have to test this stuff out!" "Jimmy, no, man," I said, "I don't even know where that came from. It wasn't from thinking about X-ray girl, and it wasn't voluntary." "Well, then maybe it's some kind of 'power manifestation' thing," said Jimmy, "And you know what, even if we don't test them, you can still start practicing controlling them." "Yeah, but we don't have time right now," I said, "We have to get to class." "All right then, we'll start soon, Superman," said Jimmy. "What?" I said, puzzled. Jimmy said, "Well, you need a name. I mean, every hero needs a name. And you got that S thing hanging on your neck." "Why in the world would you choose Superman?" I said. "What do you expect?" said Jimmy, "You've got, like, everything. How am I supposed to choose, or make some bizarre amalgam of powers?" I sighed, saying, "Fine. I guess you've got a point. But don't call me Superman." Jimmy shrugged, and we walked out of the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Brainiac felt something in his peripheral senses after seventeen years of waiting. By this time, the people of Kandor had managed to revert to their original lifestyle, at this point accepting Brainiac's presence as a fact of life. It helped that Brainiac, knowing how Kryptonians ticked, put in an artificial red sun he had fashioned from a weakening star nearby. He actually managed to strengthen it so that Kandor would last for millennia more. Brainiac now, however, had bigger concerns, as he turned his head to the direction of Earth. "There you are," he said, "Seventeen years. It was certainly worth the wait." Brainiac picked up Kandor, flying off the barren planet he'd rested on. He felt that my powers were already strengthening, but he was still far off enough that he couldn't tell exactly where I was. "You will elude me no longer," said Brainiac. He continued his flight throughout the universe, intent on erasing the last of the inferior Kryptonians.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV

A few days after my birthday, Jimmy and I decided to test out my powers for the first time, out on a giant field near my place. The day after that, I was standing in the middle of it, talking to Jimmy on my phone. "Dude, get over here," I said, "You were supposed to meet me half an hour ago." "Sorry, bro," said Jimmy, "But I had to get a few more things than I thought I would need. I'm almost there." "Fine," I sighed, "Just hurry up." "I have been," said Jimmy. Just then, I heard a rumbling coming down the road. I hung up, seeing Jimmy's car pull into the driveway. He hopped out with a backpack. He strode towards me, saying, "I got everything we need in this backpack. When should we begin?" I looked around, seeing no one, though that was the norm. "Now would be good," I said, "My parents will be back from working the store soon." "All righty then," said Jimmy, "I know just what to start with." He pulled out a bowling pin, saying, "This…is for heat vision. Just try to focus. Say 'pull' when you're ready." I took a deep breath, saying, "Pull." Jimmy tossed the pin into the air, and I grunted loudly, trying to subconsciously activate my heat vision. Though a vein on my head bulged, my eyes didn't fire. The pin landed on the ground with a soft _thump_. Jimmy said, "Guess we'll just have to try again." He picked up the pin, continuing, "Ready when you are." "Pull," I said. I felt like I wouldn't be able to do it after the first failure. So I didn't try nearly as hard. I just went as far as thinking about my heat vision.

Then a breakthrough occurred. My heat vision buzzed to life, hitting the pin and making a clean hole. There was one problem. My heat vision didn't stop. I kept my head up, making the beams continue into space. "Jimmy, I can't turn it off!" I yelled, panicked. "While that is bad, I think your only concern should be if you're hitting the International Space Station," said Jimmy. I scowled despite not actually having the convenience of directing it towards Jimmy. My annoyance at Jimmy's quip took my mind off of the heat vision, and it turned off immediately. "That's it," I said, "I just need to think about it! Now, it'll need some fine tuning, but I can do that." "So it really is the thought that counts," said Jimmy. "Yeah," I said, "What's up next?" Jimmy proceeded to present to me a phonebook, saying, "Now, you rip this in half. I'm pretty sure you don't need to think about your super strength." "You'd be surprised," I said, thinking about when I was six and bruised someone just by hugging them. "Well, even if it does, it shouldn't be too hard," said Jimmy. I took the phone book in both of my hands, digging my fingers two inches into it. As Jimmy's eyes widened, I tore the phonebook in half like it was a sheet of paper. "That's super strength, confirmed," said Jimmy. Next, he took a lighter and turned it on, resulting in a small flame. I focused and exhaled gently, sending a subzero wave of air at the flame. It was engulfed, and a second later, the flame was gone. We were both getting excited. And I was just getting started.

We went through several other things, including Jimmy firing a rock into the air using a slingshot so I could test my jump. I went eighty feet in the air, grabbing the rock, but losing control on my way down. I landed on my shoulder, creating a considerable dent in the ground. I groaned, saying, "Is this what a bruise feels like?" "You've never gotten a bruise," said Jimmy with his eyebrows raised. "Until now," I said, pained. "Can you keep going?" asked Jimmy, "We can stop if you're worn out." "No," I said, "It's fine. I'll keep on." "Okay," said Jimmy, walking towards his car. "What are you going to do with that?" I asked, getting up. Jimmy hopped into the driver's seat, saying, "Testing your legs. I mean, remember back when we were fifteen? You ran really awkwardly in track. It was like you were holding back." "Okay," I said, "All right then, start." He started it up, putting it into reverse and getting out onto the street. I ran over, getting right up to the side of the car. Jimmy said, "How about you get into starting position?" I nodded, getting down into the classic track runner's starting position. I looked at Jimmy, saying, "On one…two…three!" Jimmy quickly put the car in drive and gunned it, and I started running at the same time. I raced alongside the roaring car, keeping steady with it. "We're at sixty miles per hour!" shouted Jimmy over the cacophonous engine. I grinned, deciding to push it further. I pulled ahead of the car, laughing loudly.

I finished running a few seconds ahead of the car. When Jimmy came up next to me, he said, "Dude, you had to be going like eighty miles per hour!" I was breathing heavily, saying, "Good. Is there anything else?" "Actually, just one thing," said Jimmy. He went to the trunk of his car, opening it and pulling out a small safe. "What's that?" "Exactly what it looks like," said Jimmy, "Your instrument to try out your X-ray vision on." I nodded, saying, "Got it." I focused, thinking about my X-ray vision, trying to activate it. "It's working!" I said joyfully. I paused eventually, saying, "What?" Jimmy looked at me, saying, "What's wrong?" "I can't see through it all," I said. "What do you mean?" said Jimmy. "Well, I know my X-ray vision's working," I said, "I can see through the outer layer. But it stops, and at a definite point." "Wait a minute," said Jimmy, pulling out his phone, "I bought this thing online. There was a description here somewhere…there!" He mumbled, skimming through the summary, eventually stopping. He looked up and said, "It's lead-lined." "Huh?" I said. Jimmy said, "Your X-ray vision…maybe it's just that: your eyes are emitting X-rays! And one thing about lead: it blocks X-rays." "So, is that like my superhero weakness?" I asked. "One of them, I guess," said Jimmy. "What are you talking about, 'one of them'?" I asked. "Look at you," said Jimmy, "You've got an arsenal in your anatomy! If your only weakness is not being able to see through lead, it's going to get boring." I rolled my eyes.

I looked back towards my house, noticing a car driving to it. "We have to get back," I said. We quickly drove back, and fortunately, I was cognizant enough to wipe the dust off my shoulder. We didn't make it there before my parents, though. I walked through the doorway with Jimmy, and I said, "Hi, Mom, hi, Dad." My mom said, "What'd you two do while we were gone?" I scrambled for a believable answer, soon forcing out, "We-we were at a…baseball game at the high school." My knowledge of the school's schedule of events served me well once more, as there really was a game earlier that day. "Sounds good," my dad said, "Who won?" I couldn't answer, but fortunately Jimmy survived and still does survive on random info that crosses his path, and he quickly responded, "The visiting team." "Cool," said my dad, "Who were they?" "Central City High," said Jimmy. I looked his way, nodding. He smiled, as if to say, "Don't mention it." "So, do you mind if we go back into my room?" I asked. "Sure," said my dad. Jimmy and I walked into my room, sitting on the floor and starting to play Forza. "I wonder if you could outrun one of these beasts," said Jimmy. I watched the cars we were controlling careen at breakneck speeds on the track, and I said, "Nah. I'm not that fast." "I bet even if you were, some other guy would be faster," said Jimmy. "Yeah, right," I said, "I've never heard of anyone with super speed." "I've never heard of super jumping," said Jimmy, "But you do it." "Yeah, you know, it's weird," I said, "I keep being able to top my best height. It's like it won't stop at jumping." Jimmy shrugged, and we kept playing.

Meanwhile, a green android was floating a couple miles above St. Petersburg, Russia. He had been there for hours, seeing what the humans were like. He had no indication as to where I was, as unfamiliar energy waves of all sorts interfered with Brainiac's sensors. Soon, he decided to make his appearance. He floated downwards gracefully, with clouds parting on either side. In a few minutes, he touched softly down in the middle of a square. There was a young teen with a camera standing nearby. She exclaimed in Russian, "Look at that! It must be some kind of alien! I have to get this photo!" She snapped a picture of Brainiac. The flash, however, caught his attention, and he immediately deducted the purpose of the device the girl was holding based on her body position, the camera's general structure, and seeing through the lenses. He said to her, "I must request that you forfeit your contraption." She looked at Brainiac, confused, as he had just spoken in Kryptonian. He quickly realized his mistake and promptly accessed the knowledge he'd gained looking at Jor-El's extensive notes on the subject of Earth. In about ten seconds, he repeated his statement in perfect Russian. The girl was about to refuse until she saw the aggression in Brainiac's strange eyes.

She quickly tossed the camera to Brainiac, and he looked at the screen, looking at its inner parts with his hands. His hands sent small sound waves into the camera. They bounced around the inside of the camera, and soon, he had a perfect understanding of how it worked. In a strangely comical event, Brainiac inadvertently took a picture of the ground. Both he and the girl and the many people who had noticed him by now were stock still. A few seconds later, he went to the photo gallery, deleting the photo the girl had taken. He tossed it back to the girl, still speaking in Russian, "The punishment rendered upon the next violation will be fatal. Keep your device away from me." The girl immediately backed away, and a patrolling police officer, noticing what Brainiac had said, pulled his gun. Brainiac heard the click of the safety, and he turned. The officer said, "Don't move!" Brainiac observed the gun, saying, "A projectile weapon. What a puny threat." The officer fired in response. It hit Brainiac square in the eye. He fell backwards, landing on the ground, limbs splayed. The officer stood over Brainiac, seeing whether or not the bullet had done anything. Suddenly, Brainiac quickly returned to standing position, grabbing the officer by the head. He threw the officer thirty feet into a stone pillar. A crack was heard, and the officer fell to the ground, motionless.

Bystanders began screaming in terror. They were fleeing in every direction. Except for one. A man in a red tuxedo who had a full head of long, messy red hair was standing over the officer. He was staring at him as if he was a specimen to be studied. Brainiac noticed. He effortlessly strode over to the man, saying in Russian, "What are you doing? Why do you not flee?" The man looked up and responded in English, "Hm?" He looked back down at the officer, saying, "Oh, yes, him. You really did a number on him. Impressive, if I do say so myself." Brainiac quickly switched to English, asking, "You were…studying him?" "Oh, yeah," said the man, grinning, "If I can assess what kind of damage you did, I could find out how efficient you really are. And going over how he hit the pillar again, there were several ways you could've thrown him and he would've survived. You, however, were precise." Brainiac wanted to learn more of the interesting being before him, saying, "Who are you?" "Oh," said the man, "My name's Alexander. I would give you my card, but I just haven't found the time to make one. Anyway, I'll be seeing you." He walked away, waving back at Brainiac. "Alexander," said Brainiac to himself. Brainiac was interested. Very interested, indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER V

A week later, the big news in Smallville was the robbery of a local bank. The police had already surrounded the robbers, but the robbers were so heavily armed that the police couldn't effectively take them down. At school, eight hours after the situation had begun, I was walking to my second class when Jimmy walked up and said, "Hey, did you hear about this whole robbery thing?" "Who hasn't?" I said. "What do you think is going to happen?" asked Jimmy. I shrugged, saying, "I don't know. They'll probably figure it out." "If only they were faster," said Jimmy suggestively. I looked at him, saying, "I can't, man. I can't just go out there and play hero all of a sudden! The world isn't ready for someone like me." Jimmy said, "Do you really know that?" "Yeah," I said, "There aren't any people with superpowers out there." "Then you'll be the first," said Jimmy, "Or maybe there have been people, and they help out…behind the scenes, or something." "Like a guy with laser cannons for eyes could stay 'behind the scenes'," I said disbelievingly, "If 'Superman' steps out into the light of day, I don't care how hard he tries, he'll be noticed. And I won't be able to stop these guys now anyway! I need to get to class. I'll see you later." I walked off, leaving Jimmy dejected and a little guilty. My second class was English. The teacher was a nice guy who recognized the value of an energized classroom. He always made class entertaining, and English was everybody's favorite class as consequence.

I got down in a desk, sighing heavily. The teacher was reading the Iliad, but when he heard my sigh he said, "What's got you down, Clark?" I sighed again, replying, "I just…I feel sort of…lost. It's like I'm about to set off on some unknown expedition." The teacher smiled and said, "You're a year away from graduating, Clark. You're going to be going out into the world soon. It's normal to feel nervous." "It's not that," I said. I kept silent for a minute, as did the teacher. I eventually said, "What do you think about superheroes?" "Well, other than the fact that there hasn't been any solid documentation of superheroes, not much else," said the teacher, "But I do think it would be incredible if there were people who used extraordinary gifts to better their surroundings. Though, of course, there'd probably be villains, too. I mean, there wouldn't be any heroes without them." "I guess that would make being a superhero pretty scary," I said. "Everybody is scared of something," said the teacher, "But it doesn't mean they back down." I thought about this as the first few students came in. I was barely able to keep track of the class because of it. But I made it through English as well as other classes, heading to lunch. I forgot my pen in one of the classrooms I was in, so I was one of the last ones to get to the cafeteria. As I walked to the open doors, I noticed Jimmy was standing in front of them.

He fell in step with me as I passed, and I asked him, "You had lunch yet?" Jimmy shook his head, saying, "I've been waiting for you." I looked at him, seeing he was wearing a slightly saddened expression. I decided to say, "I'm sorry about what I said about the whole 'Superman' thing. It's just…I don't know if I have the courage." "Don't apologize," said Jimmy, "I was being a little pushy. I can't say I get it, but I'm okay if you don't want to be a superhero. And about your courage…you have plenty. You've stepped out for a lot of people at personal cost. Remember last year?" I nodded, remembering when a teacher was grilling a girl about not turning in her homework. From what it looked like, the teacher was the only one in the entire school who wasn't aware that the girl's mother was in need of constant care due to early onset Alzheimer's. The girl was normally on time with everything, but she just couldn't find the time as her mother got worse. I attempted to inform the teacher, but he didn't believe me. The girl and I got detention, and that teacher was soon fired. I remember the girl thanking me. Six months later, her mother died. I was there for her, and even though I never learned her name, it helped, and she graduated early. It made me happy.

I looked at Jimmy, saying, "Thanks." "Anytime," said Jimmy. We went through the line, heading to our table. We were the only two there, as we were both considered strange despite Jimmy's crystal blue eyes and my muscles. In another life, we'd be considered chick magnets, but that was chucked because of our studious and focused personalities. It also didn't help that I thoroughly enjoyed Tchaikovsky, while Jimmy loved Simon &amp; Garfunkel. Neither of us had any luck with school dances, whether Sadie Hawkins or not. We usually ended up being those two dudes in the back watching our classmates make utter fools of themselves and silently mourning our abysmal love lives. There was once or twice we went out on the dance floor, but we failed miserably. At the end of the night, we'd head to my place weighed down by too much punch, and we'd play video games in my room for a few hours. It was, and still is, the kind of friendship you see in movies. Jimmy and I are practically brothers. At the table, Jimmy pulled out his camera. Even though we weren't in college yet, we decided to send in our photos and write-ups to the school newspaper to practice journalism. Jimmy said, "Hey, check out this photo I took this morning." He showed me a majestic photo of the sunrise illuminating the many fields that lined the Kansas ground. He handed me the camera, and I said, "Man, this is great! You must be pretty sleepy right now." "A little, yeah," said Jimmy, laughing. I gave him his camera and produced mine, saying, "I've been editing this one for a couple days. It's one of the best shots I've gotten in a while." I showed him the photo, watching his face light up.

It was a shot of two football players crashing together at a game that had taken place a few days before. I was able to snap the photo at the exact moment the two players met. There they were, locked in an aggressive struggle, each guy trying to push the other back. I added a few touches here and there to make the photo seem like it was taken decades ago. I said, "It's an homage to classic football." Jimmy said, "Nice. Makes my work look amateurish." "Nah," I said, "We just see things differently, that's all." Jimmy nodded, smiling. He gave me a fist bump as two girls walked up to our table. They were both extremely pretty, which even in Smallville was indicative of trouble. One said, "You're that Kent boy, aren't you?" I looked at her, saying slowly, "Yes…why?" "Was it you that wrote the article about a party I threw?" she asked with hostility. "No," I said, shaking my head. I pointed at Jimmy, continuing, "He wrote it. I just did the editing." The girl's face became flushed with anger, and she said, "I had two weeks of detention because of that! I almost got arrested!" "So you did," said Jimmy passively. The girl was tired of being ignored, so she got her face two inches from mine, saying quietly, "You want to work for a newspaper, don't you?" "Sure," I said. She smiled evilly, "I got a cousin up in Metropolis. She's working at The Daily Planet as a high school intern. She also happens to hold the favor of Perry White. I can call her right now and make sure you never get a job there or at any other newspaper!" "Really?" I said, unimpressed, "Can you?" The girl straightened, still smiling and pulling out her phone.

She dialed, and in a few seconds, we heard a faint, "Yeah? What do you want, Paige?" "I have in front of me a rat," said Paige, "He and his ginger friend wrote something about a party I threw." Jimmy mouthed the word, "Ginger?" angrily as Paige continued, "They have an interest in newspaper work. Can you convince Mr. White to bar them access?" The person on the other end of the line replied with a sigh, "Paige, if you threw the party, there's probably something worth reporting. You can't expect me to crush people's careers before they happen at the drop of a hat." "But Lois!" said Paige. Lois said, "Paige! I can't deal with you right now! Please leave me alone!" We heard a dial tone, and Paige said angrily, "This isn't over!" "I think it is," I said, "Think fast!" I quickly turned on my camera and stuck it in front of her face, taking a picture with the flash on. She jumped back in surprise. Her friend walked away backwards. I examined the photo, which was an image of Paige's angry face a half second before she jumped back. "You know, you look cute when you're angry," I said. She flipped us off and speed-walked away. Jimmy and I looked at each other, starting to laugh slightly. It grew and grew, eventually causing us to double over. "I'm going to have to keep the flash on all the time," I said intermittently between bursts of laughter. "You go ahead with that," said Jimmy, grinning widely.

Soon, we were able to calm ourselves down, and Jimmy asked, "So, what do you think?" "About what?" I said. "That girl, Lois," said Jimmy, "She might make getting a job at The Daily Planet a little more appealing, you know?" I shrugged, saying, "Yeah, I guess. I'm going there to work, though, not gawk at the coworkers." "You might end up doing that anyway," said Jimmy. "I don't know," I said, "I just don't picture much with the name Lois." "Really?" said Jimmy, "Remember when that new girl came in a few months ago? Her name was Edna?" "Yeah, and it turned out she looks like Megan Fox," I said, "Don't read a book by its cover, I get it." Jimmy nodded, and we finished our lunch silently. Across town, a bald man in a black suit was talking on the phone, looking out the window of the skyscraper his office was in. He looked out over the Metropolis skyline, saying, "So, what do you expect me to do? Just wait?...All right…Well, I might visit some big-time cities to expand the company. Metropolis is just one…Gotham, Central City, maybe…The new secretary? Oh yes, she's quite the worker. Her name's a little unusual, though…Well, it's just I've never met a woman named Mercy before…I can see what you mean. She's got a sweet face, but there's something there that unsettles me." Suddenly, Mercy, a woman with perfect tan skin and bright red hair and wearing a sharp business dress, opened the door, saying quietly, "Sir, they're here." "I'm going to have to say goodbye," said the man, turning from the window, "Wouldn't want my guests to hear this conversation." He hung up, and three men in suits entered.

He shook the hand of each in turn, saying, "Hello, gentlemen. How are you all today?" The first suit said, "Good. We have something for you." They opened a large suitcase one man had been carrying. It revealed a disassembled rifle. The man took the gun's pieces out and quickly put it together. "Nice," he said, "How much does it go for?" "Four hundred grand," said the lead suit. The man sighed, saying, "Sure we can't get it at a discount?" The lead suit laughed, saying, "I don't think my superiors would like that." "Too bad," said the man, "How loud is this thing?" "Pretty quiet," said the lead suit, puzzled. The man immediately shot the lead suit, killing him instantly. "How about that discount?" he said nonchalantly. The two other suits nodded emphatically. The man turned back towards the window, saying, "Mercy, escort these men out." He smiled, looking out over the city.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI

Brainiac hadn't pursued the strange, redheaded man that he'd met in St. Petersburg. Instead, Brainiac was found by the man. By this time Brainiac had traversed most of Europe, eventually landing in Berlin. Just like in Russia, the people of Berlin began shouting in German when they saw Brainiac walking the streets. Soon, he found the last remaining piece of the Berlin wall. The man suddenly walked out from behind it, saying in German, "I love this language. Let's abandon English for a little bit." He pointed to the wall, finishing, "I bet you're wondering what this is." Replying in German, Brainiac said, "I am more interested in you, stranger." "Ah, come on," said the man, "For the last time, call me Alexander. Or maybe you could use my nickname, Le…you know what, let's wait until we're closer friends." "Fine…Alexander," said Brainiac. "Good to see we're getting off on the right foot," said Alexander, "Mind if I show you something?" Alexander didn't wait for a response, instead walking off. Brainiac thought about it. Soon, however, he decided to follow Alexander, every eye trained on the both of them. At one point, a kid walked up to Alexander and said, "Sir, what is that following you?" Alexander ruffled the kid's hair, saying, "Well, you see, my boy, I am a makeup artist. This man is walking proof of my skills." The kid looked at Brainiac, whose purple eyes were locked on him. He walked up to Brainiac, feeling the green skin on his arm. The kid turned back to Alexander, saying, "This is amazing!" Before the kid could say anything else, his mother walked up and said, "Karl, you mustn't be out on a school day." She looked up at Brainiac and smiled apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry if he bothered you, sir." Brainiac looked to Alexander for direction.

Alexander mouthed, "Be nice." Brainiac said, "It was no trouble, ma'am." The woman smiled, pulling her son away. As they continued down the road, Alexander fell in step with Brainiac, saying, "See? The aggressive approach isn't always necessary. You _can, _in fact, avoid revealing what you are and what you're doing _without_ using otherworldly lasers. You're just lucky that there weren't any photos taken of you back in Russia. Otherwise, it would be a lot more messy." Brainiac looked at Alexander, saying, "Where are we going?" "Right up here," said Alexander, pointing to a hotel. They stopped in front of the entrance, and Alexander said, "Wait." He turned one hundred and eighty degrees, pulling out a small handheld device. "Might want to cover your ears," said Alexander, putting in earplugs. Brainiac took Alexander's advice, covering his ears as Alexander pressed a button on the gadget. It emitted a high-pitched, whining noise. Everyone who heard it nearby froze in place. Some, who were in the middle of taking a step, fell on their faces. This happened to a sharp-dressed man in front of them, and Alexander snickered, saying, "That never gets old." He took out the earplugs and continued, "You can uncover your ears now. This thing right here emits a certain frequency that triggers a stiffening response. It can also shut down your sight and hearing for a certain time. You should have a big enough window to fly to the back. I'll open the window for you." Alexander entered the hotel, going to his room. He opened the window, and Brainiac flew through.

Alexander happened to have the presidential suite in the hotel in question. Brainiac asked, "What is this?" "All the worldly pleasures you can imagine packed into a few hundred square feet," said Alexander. He walked to the fridge in the suite, coming back to Brainiac with caviar. "You want some?" asked Alexander. Brainiac said, "I am incapable of eating." "Oh, yeah, that's right," said Alexander, "Well, more for me!" He began eating the caviar, with Brainiac looking on, puzzled. "What must you show me?" asked Brainiac. "What exactly I have the power to do," said Alexander, his mouth full. He walked over to a window, saying, "Look out here. What do you see?" Brainiac looked out over the street, seeing a large crowd milling around. "People," said Brainiac, "What is their significance?" Alexander laughed softly, proceeding to eat more caviar. He swallowed, saying, "That guy, that guy, and…that guy." He pointed at three different, average-seeming men. Alexander continued, "_They _are just a few of the many people under my employ. They all have concealed weapons." "They are part of your military?" said Brainiac. "Well, for hire, anyway," said Alexander, "I only pay these guys to stay with me for a few days. I contact them, I don't tell them anything about me, I hire them, I wire money into their bank accounts, and they work for me. That way, they can't be traced back to me. I am their ghostly leader." Brainiac kept staring out the window, contemplating Alexander's strategy.

Brainiac turned back to Alexander, saying, "Quite a plan, indeed." Alexander said, "Yep." He finished his can of caviar, tossing it into a nearby trashcan. Brainiac said, "Why _are _you telling me?" "I think I can help you find your little missing alien," said Alexander. "Why would you?" asked Brainiac. "Because who knows how much fun I'll have working with an android?" said Alexander, "That, and I want to see what makes you tick." Brainiac didn't understand the expression, cocking his head. Alexander rolled his eyes, saying emphatically, "_I duly wish to dissect you._" Brainiac said, "Why should I trust you?" Alexander nodded, saying, "Right, right." Suddenly, he pulled a small revolver and fired at Brainiac, nailing him in the chest. The bullet was forced out, and Brainiac held out his hand to blast Alexander. Alexander held up his hands, saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just a test! It was just…a test. Did that hurt? I know already that you can't be killed by bullets, but _did it hurt_?" Brainiac lowered his hand, saying, "No, I felt no pain." Relieved, Alexander sighed, saying, "Good. That's good. That's why you should be able to trust me. I can keep you awake while dissecting you, and you won't feel anything anyway. If you're displeased, you can simply blow my head off, or whatever other terrible things you can do to end me." Brainiac asked, "When must you dissect me?" "Well first, I'm going to get some authentic German chocolate to distract myself from nearly dying," said Alexander, walking off. As he exited the room, Alexander turned, saying, "Stay put." Alexander closed the door, leaving Brainiac alone.

What followed would have been possibly hilarious if anyone had managed to get in without Brainiac noticing, or on the other end of this spectrum, pitiful. Brainiac, dropping his usually regal air, wandered around the suite, fascinated by the unfamiliar mechanisms throughout. His thoughts of Kandor, which he had recently stored in a cavity in his chest, melted as he entered the bathroom. He saw the shower stall, walking over to it. Out of curiosity, he gently turned the knob on the wall inside. Small streams of water began pouring out of the strange, conical, metal device fixed to the wall overhead. Brainiac gingerly stuck his hand in the path of the streams, feeling a cold liquid hit it. He turned the knob further until it could go no more, feeling the liquid rapidly rise in temperature. He fiddled with the knob for a few more minutes until he heard a churning sound coming from another room. Turning the shower off, he walked into the kitchen, finding…a white box making the noise. He poked it, wondering what purpose the strange, white box might serve. He looked at the knobs and buttons on the front, wondering what they did. The box stopped its churning noises, and Brainiac stared at it. Soon, however, he cautiously opened it, his hand ready to fire. Steam came out of the opening that Brainiac saw. It was filled with strange objects made of glass, metal, and ceramic.

He picked up a ceramic, discus shaped object, holding it close to his face. He examined it, saying, "What could the purpose of this object be? What power does it hold?" He heard a click behind him, and Alexander walked into the room. As he came across Brainiac, he stopped and said, "Am I interrupting? I wouldn't want to get in the way of inorganic romance." "No," said Brainiac, "I require the knowledge of this object's purpose." "You require…" said Alexander slowly. A smile grew on his face, and he said, "Interesting. So much power, and when unfamiliarity comes upon you, you have this insatiable curiosity. I'm starting to like you more and more." "But _what _does it do?" said Brainiac. Alexander took the object, walking over to a counter where a bag of sliced, squishy material was sitting. Alexander took two pieces, grabbing what appeared to be a knife. He then proceeded to grab a glass container holding a purple, gelatinous substance. He opened the container, scooping some of the substance out with the knife. He applied it to one piece. A second later, he grabbed another container of the same structure, but containing a thick, golden-brown substance. He did the same as he did with the first piece to the second piece. He then put the two pieces together, turning to face Brainiac. "This is what it's for," said Alexander, "It holds our food. It's called a plate." "That is all?" asked Brainiac. "Quite," said Alexander, "But it's useful nonetheless." He ate the food item he'd prepared, as Brainiac stared at the plate.

After Alexander finished the food, he set the plate aside and said, "Now I've told you something. How about you tell me about yourself?" Brainiac nodded, knowing what Alexander meant. "Okay, then, I have an important question," said Alexander, "Do you have any bodily fluids, whether artificial or organic?" Brainiac said, "No." "Good," said Alexander, "That means I won't have to go Dexter on you." "Dexter?" asked Brainiac. Alexander said, "Oh. Guess this means I should introduce you to Netflix, too. Come on over here." Brainiac, while still confused, followed Alexander over to a bench covered in leather, obviously where someone would lie down. "Now, usually, this is used for psychiatric treatment," said Alexander, "But it should serve our purposes." He gestured to the bench, finishing, "Lie on down." Brainiac did as he was told, and Alexander said, "Can you open _yourself _up? 'Cause if a bullet won't leave a scratch on you, I doubt a scalpel will do anything different." Brainiac, without moving, let his chest open up, to reveal Kandor and several components of his being. Alexander got up close to Kandor, furrowing his brow and saying, "Are these, like, little elf people?" "There are former inhabitants of my home planet," said Brainiac, "I shrunk them to preserve them." "What happened to your home planet?" said Alexander. "It was destroyed by blind ambition and petty bitterness," said Brainiac disdainfully. "Charming," said Alexander, turning this attention back to Brainiac's inner workings.

He looked around, seeing all kinds of complex wiring and mechanisms. "Interesting," said Alexander, "Where's your power source located?" Brainiac's chest snapped closed, and his forehead opened up. An eerie green glow began emanating from the middle. Alexander's eyes widened in wonder. "What's that?" he asked excitedly. "It has no name," said Brainiac, "My creators fashioned it as an experimental power source." "What was your planet called?" asked Alexander. "Krypton," said Brainiac. "How about we call it Kryptonite?" said Alexander, "Rolls off the tongue nicely." As Brainiac pondered the name, Alexander stared in awe at the glowing green crystal.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER VII

Back in Smallville, Jimmy and I had just finished the school day. We walked out the front, heading towards Jimmy's car. "Why _do _you always ride with me, anyway?" asked Jimmy as he opened his driver's side door. I replied, "Mostly, it's just that we can't afford a car for me right now, and my parents use the car we _do _have all day, running errands and such. And you and I both know it'd be faster for me to just run to school, anyway." Jimmy nodded, and we headed to my place. On the way back, Jimmy asked, "So, what're you thinking?" I looked over at him, my brow furrowed. "Come on, bro, I see that look," said Jimmy, "Your noggin's about to overheat." "What?" I asked. Jimmy turned the rearview mirror towards me, and I realized I was wearing an expression of pure focus and thinking. I said, "I see what you mean. It's a…number of things. You know, I don't really know how to control these powers of mine. If we want to work for The Daily Planet, we have to move to Delaware next year. And I don't even know if I'm human. I just have a lot of questions, is all." Jimmy readjusted the rearview mirror, saying, "Well, those powers can be controlled, and it just might be a matter of time. And moving to Delaware? Pfft…all we need is some good music and a gassed-up car. I'm sure we could figure the rest out. And even if you aren't human, who doesn't want an alien for a best friend?" He held up his fist. I gave him a fist bump, not resisting the urge to smile.

"So, you wanting to stay for dinner tonight?" I asked. Jimmy said, "I'll call my mom to let her know. You know how she is." "It's what mothers are for," I said, "They worry whether you like it or not." "Sure," said Jimmy, "But do you think your mom would let me?" "Ah, she'd be fine," I said, "She's used to you being over at the house all the time." "I can hardly wait," said Jimmy. When we reached my house, I walked up to my mom and said, "Mom, is it okay if Jimmy stays for dinner?" "Of course," said my mom, "Thanks for asking anyway." I turned towards Jimmy, gesturing with my head for him to come inside. He walked through the door, saying, "Oh, uh, Mrs. Kent, do you think Clark and I could go to a movie tonight?" "What movie?" asked my mom. Jimmy told my mom, and she said, "All right, but don't spoil it for Jonathan. He's been wanting to see it for a while." "Got it," I said. Jimmy and I headed into my room, popping Minecraft into my Xbox. "Your mom has to be the nicest woman alive," said Jimmy, "My mom wouldn't be _nearly _as graceful about the whole short notice thing. You're lucky, dude." "I guess I am," I said, "But if you start flirting with her, I might have to take offense." Laughing, Jimmy said, "Bro, I have no intentions. But you know, that reminds me: you must've been thinking about that Lois girl earlier, too." "Sure," I said, "I mean, I'd like to think she's hot, but then again, I don't want to expect someone like a Sports Illustrated model." "Ah, so you might get disappointed," said Jimmy, "It happens. And in a growing city like Metropolis, there'll be plenty of fish in the ocean." "Fair point," I said, "I guess as long as the work is good, I can stand a few disappointments." Jimmy and I explored a cave as I pictured just how stunning this girl could be.

About an hour later, my mom said, "Jimmy, Clark, dinner's ready!" "Sweetness," I said, shutting off the Xbox. We walked into the dining room, a pleasing smell emanating from the kitchen. "Hope you enjoy spaghetti, Jimmy," said my mom. Jimmy said, "Heck yeah." "Good, then," said my mom. She turned to me and said, "Clark, could you get some plates?" "Sure," I said. "I'll help," said Jimmy. My mom thanked Jimmy, and we prepared the table. We sat down as my mom served us some food. After my mom and dad were seated, Jimmy took a bite and said, "This is great, Mrs. Kent. Thanks." "You're very welcome," said my mom, "You've been Clark's best friend for a long time now. You deserve good food at the very least." Jimmy raised his glass of Mountain Dew, saying, "I'll drink to that." Everybody at the table, including myself, smiled. My dad took a bite of spaghetti, saying, "So, Jimmy. Clark tells us you two want to work together." Jimmy nodded emphatically, saying, "Oh, yeah. We've both got an eye for photos, and let me tell you, Clark's way with English isn't too shabby either." "Ah, don't throw them a puff piece," I said, "I just edit." "Yeah, but I look that much less the idiot _because_ you edit," said Jimmy. I shrugged, saying, "Maybe. It's not really much to speak of." "It _could _be, you know," said my dad, "If you boys get yourselves jobs at The Daily Planet, you're going to climb the ladder pretty fast." "Well, right now we're just hoping we can land an internship," said Jimmy. We carried on with our conversation while we finished dinner.

After Jimmy and I had put our dishes in the washer, we got ready to head to the movie. It was a superhero movie that people had been in the works for four years, and as a result the general people were jumping to see it. After we were ready, we went to the front door. We opened it, and as we left, I said, "Hey, Mom, Dad, we're heading out!" "All right, see you later!" said my mom, "Love you!" "Love you, too!" I said, as Jimmy and I approached his car. Immediately after hopping in the car, Jimmy said, "You sure you want to see this? I mean, with all your powers and everything, I wouldn't want to make it seem like _you _have to become a superhero." I hesitated, eventually looking Jimmy in the eye and smiling, saying, "It's fine. I've been wanting to see this for a while, too. Don't worry about it." "If you say so," said Jimmy, starting up the car. As we drove towards the theater, Jimmy said, "Would you want to be a superhero, though? I mean, it would be cool to be saving people and wearing a cool costume." I thought about it, soon replying, "I don't know. It has the potential to be fun, I guess. But I don't know if I could handle the press coming after me." "Even if you were a journalist yourself?" asked Jimmy. I responded, "It might make it easier to handle them if I know the trade. But all the same, what if it _was _like in the movies? The press wouldn't just want to interview me, they'd want to attack me. And then there's the risk of dying and leaving my parents behind, or even worse, they'd be in danger. And it doesn't end there. If I become a superhero, I don't think I could have any relationships. If I had a wife or worse a kid and someone found out, who knows what might happen?" "Makes sense," said Jimmy, "Well, no pressure, of course." "Sure," I said. At the moment our conversation ended, we parked and walked up to the theater.

We went in, paying for our tickets and buying some popcorn. Admittedly, I _was _slightly apprehensive. What if seeing this movie would make me nervous about my own powers? I had to toss those questions aside, though, because Jimmy was already walking down the hall. I caught up to him, and we went in and watched the movie. As I saw the main protagonist struggle through the life his powers had given him, I felt a sense that I might end up like him. But eventually, he took up his costume and fought for justice. I was inspired by his willingness to die for what he knew was right, but then again, I didn't think I was that strong. By the time the end credits rolled, we had finished our popcorn, and I felt like I was on shaky ground. As I walked out the door, Jimmy said, "That was good! What'd you think?" "I liked it," I said, masking my uncertainty, "The writing could've been a little less clunky, but other than that, it was a good flick." I didn't pretend well enough, it seemed, because Jimmy said, "Hey. Are you sure you'll be okay?" I regained my composure, saying, "Who're you talking to? Of course I'll be okay." Jimmy, though he didn't seemed fully convinced, said, "All right…if you say so." We walked out of the theater, and I strode slightly behind Jimmy so he wouldn't see my face.

The theater was pretty packed, so Jimmy and I had to park by an alley about a block away. We were fairly close when Jimmy threw out his hand to stop me walking. "Wh…" I began. He shushed me immediately, whispering, "Listen. You hear that?" I turned my head, suddenly noticing scuffling and harsh whispering. "Stop!" we heard, the speaker seemingly frustrated, "I told you that if you gave me your money, this would be easy! Now you've gone and made it difficult." We heard muffled shouting, obviously from a girl. I looked at Jimmy and nodded. Jimmy and I ran into the alley, seeing something that made our blood boil. Some thug was holding a girl to the wall, covering her mouth with one hand and ripping her shirt with the other. His belt was undone. I entertained the thought of killing the guy, but I knew I could never outrun the memory. So I said loudly, "HEY, PERV!" The guy turned, pulling a knife. He charged at me. I hadn't actually prepared for this eventuality. All this was, was spur of the moment. So I ended up not moving as he attempted to plunge the knife into my chest. The blade hit my shirt, tearing it. It bent at a weird angle when it met my skin. The guy stared at my chest in stunned silence. I took the opportunity, grabbing his wrist, easily breaking it. "Dude," I said to Jimmy, "Call 911." "Don't mind if I do," said Jimmy, taking out his phone.

I looked the guy straight in the eye, saying, "I don't like rapists." He said, "W-what are you going to do to me?" I swung him towards the brick wall. I made sure not to flatten him against the wall with my strength, but it was enough to hospitalize him for a few months. "That," I said. The girl was cowering beside a dumpster. Her mascara was running down her face, and she was shivering and sobbing softly. I noticed her hair color, and then her facial features. It was Paige. The girl who tried to shut down our chances at The Daily Planet. I felt sorry for her, seeing her like this. I took off my jacket, approaching Paige. She tried to get up closer to the dumpster, afraid of me. I stopped, dropping my jacket and getting down in a kneeling position. I was confident that she couldn't see my face, and so I could speak to her freely without fear of compromising my secret. I whispered, "Hey. Don't be scared. I'll toss you my jacket." I did as I said, and she gingerly picked it up, putting it around her shoulders. I got up, walking over to her and offering her my hand. She stared at it, eventually shifting her gaze to make eye contact. Whatever she could see of my eyes, she seemed to trust. Her sobbing turned to whimpering, and soon she swallowed, steeling herself. She took my hand, and I helped her up. Immediately, she broke down once again, putting her face against my chest. Jimmy looked on, his eyes tearing up.

I put my arms around her, saying softly, "Hey, hey. You're okay, you're okay. The police will be here soon." Weakly, she looked over at the would-be rapist, quickly turning back away. She said, "I don't want to be here around…him." I turned around, saying, "Jimmy, start up the car." Jimmy got in, starting the car like I said. I walked over, supporting Paige. She got in the backseat, and I got in beside her. Jimmy kept the lights off in the car. "Who are you guys?" she asked, nervous again. "We're just…people who care," I said. She shifted a little closer to me. But I knew the damage was done. I didn't know if she'd show up to school again, or how she'd be if she returned. All I really knew is that I had to get this girl I once called an enemy home safely.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER VIII

After Jimmy and I successfully saw Paige to her front door, we drove off. Jimmy said, "So, what're you thinking?" I was looking out the car window, staring at the stars above. "Not sure," I said quietly, "I used to hate that girl. Now…I want to protect her." "I would count that as good," said Jimmy, "You tossed your hate towards her out the window and saved her. If you keep that mentality, you'll save all kinds of people." "Maybe so," I said, "Let's get home, Jimmy." "You got it," said Jimmy. We drove through town, and I kept my eyes shifting from place to place. My idyllic belief of the simplicity of life in Smallville was smashed. I saw a terrible act about to be committed, and I recognized that they evened happened in so nice a place. I was so deep in this line of thought that it felt as if no time had passed when Jimmy pulled up to my house. I was snapped out of my subconscious when I heard Jimmy say, "Clark. We're here." I looked towards my house, saying, "Oh. Thanks, Jimmy." "Any time," said Jimmy. As I was about to knock on my door, Jimmy rolled down his window and said, "Will I see you at school tomorrow?" "I think I'll be okay enough," I said. "That's enough for me," said Jimmy. I nodded, and Jimmy drove away. I knocked on my door, waiting for it to open.

My dad came to the door, opening it and saying, "Hey. How was the movie?" "It was good," I said, "It…gets you thinking." "Seems like it ran a little long, though," said my dad. I shrugged, saying, "Maybe." My dad looked at me and said, "You feeling okay? You look a little off." "Well, like I said," I replied, "it gets you thinking. I'm going to hop in the shower. Good night." I walked past my dad as he said quietly, "Good night, son." I took my time in the shower, letting the water hit my face and run down my chest. I sighed. After a few more minutes, I got out, drying myself and getting dressed. I laid down in bed, fiddling with my necklace and staring at the ceiling. Eventually, I took it off and held it in front of my face. "What could you mean?" I whispered, looking at the symbol on front. Of course, being a necklace, it did nothing to answer my questions. "Yeah, okay," I said, putting it back on. I felt restless, turning over and over again. Soon, I decided to get up. I slipped on my shoes, sighing. I quietly grabbed a key and slipped out of my house. I stepped outside, once again staring at the night sky. I sighed again, jumping high in the air. I jumped repeatedly until I finally reached my school, going to our football field. I stood by the bleachers. There was a deserted football a few yards away in the grass. I picked it up, throwing it. I'm a terrible shot. The football hit the post holding up the field goal. While it dented the post, the football popped.

I sat down on the bleachers, staring at the dent. Eventually, I looked yet again at the stars. I laid flat on the bleachers, at one point even reaching towards the stars. "Lois," I said, "Maybe I _can _expect something, even from a name like that." I imagined, for whatever reason, a girl with silky black hair, beautiful blue eyes, and bright pink lips at the moment I said that. "Could that be what she really looks like?" I asked no one in particular. _Nah, _I thought. But even so, I felt a heat rise in my chest and face. Seemingly involuntarily, I smiled. "I think I'm in love," I said, "What a notion." I laughed, again seemingly by no choice of my own. I sighed contentedly, closing my eyes for a few seconds. Soon enough, however, I realized that I had to get home, otherwise I'd be met with a lot of uncomfortable questions which had uncomfortable answers. And so, I jumped my way back, landing a few feet from my front door in just a few short minutes. I quietly got inside, kicking off my shoes. I flopped into my bed, dropping off to sleep immediately. I had dreams about the girl I'd imagined. I still wondered if, by some unknown reason, I was able to see what she looked like before I met her. And still, I discounted the thought as pure fancy.

The following day, I woke up at about six o' clock so I could catch the early morning news. I was waiting for the story on Paige. My patience wasn't in vain. The news anchor recounted the story. It was found that the potential rapist was already a registered sex offender who'd escaped justice the first time. He was promptly arrested. Paige herself had given a statement, but she didn't want to be on TV. According to her, she lived very close to the theater, and so she decided to walk. Jimmy and I found her when she was on her way back. She mentioned both of us, but since she couldn't recognize us in the dark, she didn't refer to us by name. She didn't say anything about my powers. It was just as well. If she did, I doubt anyone would've believed her. Along with that, the police concluded that the brick dust found on the criminal's jacket was the result of a fierce struggle, and fortunately, it also explained his several broken bones. After the story had aired, I resolved to keep a level head and go to school. I got up, getting ready. My dad came stumbling out of his room as I was about to go. He was bleary-eyed, and he still had severe bed-head. Squinting in the light, he said, "Clark, what're you doing up at…7:45?" "I thought I'd walk to school," I said. "I'll let your mother know," said my dad. I said, "Thanks." My dad said, "If you need someone to talk to…remember that we're here." "I know, Dad," I said, smiling. He nodded, and I walked out the door.

I arrived at the same time as everyone else, yet I'd been sort of meandering my way there, with my thoughts tromping around. I met Jimmy at the doors, and he said, "I thought you'd be here earlier." "I thought _you'd _be here earlier," I said. "Well, I decided to walk," said Jimmy, "You too?" "Yeah, I've just been…mulling things over," I said. "So have I," said Jimmy, "You think she'll come?" "She seems a little strong-willed," I said, "So, maybe. But I'm not going to count on it." Just then, I saw two guys walk up to the front doors. One was Paige's boyfriend. I overheard one say, "So, you hear about what happened to Paige?" Paige's boyfriend, the jerk, said, "Yeah. Bet the little %&amp;* ^ was asking for it." I realized that they'd probably separated. But what took precedence was my burning fury. I walked straight up to the guy, getting an inch from his face. I looked him in the eye, saying, "You say something like that again…" "You'll what?" he interrupted smugly. I kept my eyes locked on his, saying, "I will grab you by your hair, drag you outside in front of everyone, and ram your face into the dirt." He started chuckling lightly, saying, "You can't be…" I whispered suddenly, "Try me." I kept my face totally firm. His smile melted, and he said, "Fine." He walked past me, shouting back, "Can't figure out why you'd defend _her _of all people, though!" Jimmy walked up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. He said, "I got a few extra dollars on me. How's about we cool off with some Coke?" "I could go for something like that, yeah," I said. We went inside, straight to the vending machine in the main hall.

Once we finished our drinks, we were about to head to class before we heard a small voice say, "Um…excuse me." We turned, seeing Paige with her younger brother, who happened to be my height, or six inches taller than Paige. "Hi," I said, "I heard about…what happened. How are you?" "Not good," said Paige. I noticed her hair was disheveled and she didn't have any makeup on. She looked as if she hadn't slept for days, even if it had only happened the night before. Her brother spoke up, saying, "My teachers let me move my classes around so I could stay with her all day." "Is that helping?" I asked Paige. She nodded slightly, clutching her books up against her chest. She kept her feet extremely close together, probably to try and prevent as much physical contact as possible. "I saw your old boyfriend, too," I said, "Can I ask what happened?" Paige laughed bitterly, which quickly turned to tears. Her brother said, "He…didn't want to be around her." "Why?" I asked. "Because of…what happened," said Paige's brother, "That was the only reason he gave." "Jerk," I growled. Paige calmed down after a few seconds, saying, "I, uh…I came up to you guys to…apologize. I'm sorry I was so terrible to you two. You might question why, but it's just because…there was this guy…and his friend. They took me home. They sounded like you two. I guess their voices just made me think of you. But they couldn't have been you, could they?" "Why would you say that?" I asked. She said, "One of them…he…no, it couldn't have been you. But I just wanted to say sorry." "Thanks," I said. Jimmy said, "It's okay." Paige looked up at Jimmy. Their eyes met for a few seconds, and Jimmy's face burned bright red. Paige smiled slightly.

Jimmy suddenly put his hand on Paige's shoulder, saying, "Hey. I hope your day gets better." Paige's smile grew ever so slightly, and she said quietly, "Thank you, Jimmy." Jimmy smiled a little, and Paige's brother said, "We have to get to class, big sis." Paige nodded, still smiling a little, and they walked off. A little down the hall, Paige turned her head to look back at Jimmy. Jimmy smiled and waved. Paige smirked sheepishly and turned back around. As Jimmy and I turned to head to our classes, I said, "Jimmy Olsen, unless I'm terribly mistaken, I think you love Paige." "H-how can you tell?" asked Jimmy nervously. "I…know the feeling," I said. We went to our classes, and luckily, our teachers understood our reason for being late. We continued the school day like normal, and I can guarantee you that Jimmy and I were thinking about Paige and Lois the whole time. The bliss I was experiencing wasn't destined to last forever, though, because that day Brainiac and Alexander were in Great Britain. Alexander was enjoying a package of jammie dodgers. "I love these things," said Alexander, downing yet another cookie. They were on the London Eye, and once again the makeup artist story worked. "So, what do you think of all this?" asked Alexander. Brainiac replied, "I believe that this world is not deserving of destruction…at least not yet." "What's behind that?" asked Alexander. Brainiac looked at Alexander, saying, "On my home planet, the people did not possess the wonder about their own world like you humans. They knew everything there was to know. They did not pay attention to their own world. Humans, however, do not know everything. You still study madly to find out as much as you can about your lives." Alexander, while Brainiac was holding a serious stare, ate another jammie dodger.

"You think we'll end up the same?" asked Alexander. "Perhaps," said Brainiac, "But from what I can see, it will at least not occur for a long time. Not in your lifetime. I value study above many other things, and as I said, you humans simply do not tire of it." "Interesting way of thinking," said Alexander. Just then, as they reached the top of the Ferris wheel, Brainiac turned to face a seemingly random direction. "Did Keira Knightley just step outside?" asked Alexander, "What's she wearing?" "No," said Brainiac, "I just felt a spike in genetic radiation. It is Kryptonian." "Your lost alien?" asked Alexander. "Yes," said Brainiac, "When do we get out of this?" "We'll…have to wait," said Alexander. "Then wait we shall," said Brainiac, hilariously stoic. He sat in the center of the carriage they were in, trying to pinpoint where the signal had come from.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER IX

When Jimmy and I headed to school the following day, we didn't have the chance to say hi to Paige or her brother, because we were very nearly late. We ran to our respective classes, and as I sat down hard in biology, my teacher said, "Just in time, Mr. Kent." "Yeah," I said, breathing normally. The teacher, who had been writing on his chalkboard, turned to the class and said, "He came in here pretty fast, didn't he?" He was obviously trying to find out if his eyes had tricked him somehow. All the other kids in class nodded, and the teacher said, "You have…resilient lungs, Mr. Kent." "What can I say?" I said. "Quite a bit, I imagine," said the teacher, flipping his chalk. He stared at me for a few seconds before shaking off the feeling. He turned back to the chalkboard and began his lesson. I could tell everyone else was throwing furtive glances my way the whole time. It was hard to concentrate as a result, but I managed to take down plenty of notes. After I finished the class, I met up with Jimmy for a couple of minutes in the hall. "What's getting to you?" asked Jimmy. "It's just…" I began. I trailed off, soon finishing, "I'm starting to feel jittery, when I don't use my powers. It's like I'm gaining a _need _to use them." "You could be right," said Jimmy, "Then again, you could just _want _to use them. I know you. Ever since you saved Paige, I bet you've been wanting to save more people." I looked at the floor, saying quietly, "I'm just not sure. You're probably right." "You'll get your chance soon," said Jimmy, "I guarantee it." Little did Jimmy know how right he was.

Just after he finished that sentence, a gunshot rang out in the hall. I turned quickly, seeing four guys wearing ski masks and carrying assault rifles. "Everybody OUT," shouted the lead, "We don't want to hurt anyone!" From his voice, I guessed he was around my age. From that, I guessed so were the others. I backed up with Jimmy towards a corner which led to an exit, as did everyone else. I turned to him and whispered, "Get everybody out of here as soon as you can. Hold this." I handed him my necklace, and as we rounded the corner, I left Jimmy and used a slower but safer route to the history classroom. "How does this stuff happen here?!" I whispered to myself through gritted teeth. Amid the confusion that I left behind, nobody noticed me leave. Once I reached the classroom, I stopped and stayed quiet. I heard four sets of footsteps, meaning everyone else was out of harm's way. I said to myself, "I guess fate just likes to push you into things, huh, Clark?" I heard the four guys rifling through lockers just outside the classroom. I knew I had to act. I ran out, tackling one guy with such force that we flew into the opposite classroom before the others had time to react. He was knocked out, with a few broken ribs at the very least. I pulled off his ski mask, sadly confirming my suspicions about their ages. I checked his gun. It was loaded with blanks. "So this was a smash and grab?" I said quietly, "Makes things a little better." I walked outside the classroom, wearing the ski mask. "Who're you?" asked one of the robbers. I thought about what I should say.

I steeled myself, saying, "I'm Superman." "And what's that supposed to mean?" asked the robber. "This, of course," I said, charging at him. I grabbed his gun and bent it into a ninety-degree angle. He shook with fear and walked backwards. He tried to run, but I quickly lunged forwards and grabbed his shoulder. I threw him into some lockers. He groaned softly as he fell unconscious. The other guys were running down the hall away from me. I ran even faster, sweeping one off his feet, sending him several feet into the air. He landed on his back, not unconscious but incapacitated. The final robber had disappeared as I was taking out the other guy. "The police are probably here," I shouted, "There's no way out!" I walked around a corner, and the final robber hit me in the face with the butt of his gun. My head snapped back, but it didn't hurt. "How's that feel?" asked the robber mockingly. "A bit like this," I said, punching him lightly in the face. He fell on his back, nose bleeding. I straddled his chest, tearing off his mask. He was a guy I'd never really seen around the school. I got up off him and said, "What are you doing?" He got up slowly. He was about to try and punch me when I said, "Don't." I made sure the look in my eyes let him know I was serious. He sighed, suddenly changing his demeanor. He seemed unconfident, and a little sorrowful, even though he looked like he could've been on a football team.

He ran his hand through his hair while saying slowly, "We're doing this…to get some justice for a friend of ours." "First off, the police are probably searching this place right now," I said, "Let's go into a classroom." I dragged him into a classroom by his arm, looking to see if anyone was there yet. Once we entered, I closed the door behind me. I crossed my arms, saying, "Sit at a desk." He did as I said. I looked at him and said, "What reason do you have for this 'justice'?" "I told you, it was a friend," he said, "He…um, he…he overdosed on some kind of hallucinogen. And we think we know who gave it to him." "Who?" I asked. He hesitated, replying eventually, "Brent Herald. A linebacker on the football team. Our friend was a tight end. There were rumors that Herald was a sort of middle man for some dealer. We figured, we scare everyone off, we can look and see if we can find anything on him." "So that's whose lockers you were trashing," I said, "You were looking to get dirt on him." "Yes," he said, "My folks work at a movie studio, so we stole some spare keys and found some prop guns and costumes." "Come on," I said, "Sure, this guy needs to get his, but this isn't the way!" "What were we supposed to do?" he asked frantically, his eyes starting to fill up with tears. I was about to answer when we heard someone say, "Let's check here," outside. I quickly got to the other side of the room, ducking into a supply closet. I stuffed the mask into a dark corner.

I heard the door burst open, followed by shouting. The shouting ceased after a couple seconds, followed by clicking noises, obviously coming from handcuffs. I heard one officer say, "This thing just has blanks in it." He sighed, saying, "Well, at least you weren't trying to kill someone, kid." I waited a few minutes before getting out, and by that time the police had left and so had everyone else, excluding Jimmy. He held up my necklace, saying, "Here you go, Superman." I put it on, saying, "Thanks, man." "So, how'd it go down?" asked Jimmy. I explained the robbers' objective. "So, justice, eh?" said Jimmy, "Better ways to go about it." "Sure are," I said, looking off into the distance. "Are you thinking about actually, you know, putting together a costume and all that fun stuff?" asked Jimmy. "A little bit," I said, "I want to see if these guys are right." "Well then, we have our work cut out for us," said Jimmy. "What?" I asked. "You don't actually expect to go out and beat up criminals _without _proper attire?" said Jimmy. I took a second to respond, saying, "Well, my dad has some of his old army stuff in our attic." Jimmy snapped his fingers and said, "Then we start with that. Come on, let's head back to your place." He turned and gestured for me to follow. "My mom's going to flip out," I said to myself. When we reached my place, I was right. My mom hugged me and said, "Oh, Clark! Are you okay?" "Yes, Mom, I'm fine," I said, "I hid in a closet." My dad walked into the room, saying, "Told you he'd be okay, honey." "Jon, he's gone through something terrible!" said my mom. "It's okay, Mom," I said, "At least Dad was right, right?" "I guess," said my mom. "All right then," I said, "I'll do the dishes, okay?" My mom nodded, and I went to work.

After I finished, I asked my dad, "Hey, could I show Jimmy some of your old army stuff in the attic?" "Sure," said my dad, "I could go up there with you. I got some pretty good stories." "Nah," I said, "It's okay. I just wanted Jimmy to see them." "All right, then go on up," said my dad, "But you'll be more bored." "Seriously, Dad, don't worry," I said. Jimmy and I went up to the attic, and we rummaged around all the boxes piled up, soon finding one labeled "MILITARY GEAR". We opened it up, and I pulled out a set of black cargo pants. "They look like they might fit you now," said Jimmy. "You're probably right," I said, setting them aside. I pulled out a mask that was sort of like a ski mask, except the mouth was covered. "Oh, this is really cool," I said, "This is something my dad would wear when he was on night missions." "Put it on, dude," said Jimmy excitedly. I put it over my head. Jimmy said, "Okay, until we find a legit costume, that'll definitely work as a mask." Next, I pulled out black cutoff gloves. "Cocking a handgun can get uncomfortable," I said. I looked at the shirt in the box, saying, "You think we'll need that?" "No, a T-shirt would work for you," said Jimmy, "We'd just need to add a logo." "Right," I said, pulling out a pair of black combat boots. "Use those," said Jimmy. "All right, I'll try this on later," I said. I pulled off the mask, and Jimmy and I went downstairs. For the rest of the day, Jimmy and I silently discussed Superman in my room. When Jimmy finally left for his place, my dad walked in.

My dad said, "Hey. Are you sure you're doing okay? It sounded pretty scary on the news." "I'm alive," I said, "That's enough for me." My dad said, "If you say so. I'll let you get to bed." "Thanks," I said. My dad walked out, going to my mom. She was sitting at the table, having some decaf coffee. He said, "I don't think Clark's telling us what he's thinking." "He's seventeen," said my mom, "I guess…it's to be expected." "I don't know about that," said my dad, "What if he's dealing with something? What if he's depressed?" "Then he'll come to us in his own time," said my mom. "And if he doesn't?" said my dad skeptically. My mom said tentatively, "Then…I don't know. I don't want to push him. I don't want to make it worse." "Well, if push comes to shove, I don't think we'll have much of a choice," said my dad, "But until then…I guess you're right. We have to be patient." "We're raising a teenage boy," said my mom, "What else is there but patience?" My dad smiled and said, "That's why I fell for you, Martha: you put me at ease." "Does it help that I was called a brunette Marilyn Monroe?" asked my mom, smiling wryly. My dad put his arms around my mom, saying, "Only a little. You want to head to bed?" "After I finish this mug, sure," said my mom, "I'll see you there." "I'll be waiting," said my dad. He headed off to their bedroom as my mom stared at a framed picture of our family. She smiled, thinking of me.

Meanwhile, Alexander and Brainiac had landed in Gotham, New Jersey. Once again, they stuck with their makeup artist story, and they decided to keep it with them. They were in a place where they could see the Wayne Enterprises building. Alexander was looking at it, and Brainiac said, "What is that structure?" "That is the epitome of big business on the East side of the USA," said Alexander, "It's not actually run by a member of the Wayne family anymore, though." "Who does, then?" asked Brainiac. "A board of directors," said Alexander, "They're going to drive the company into the ground, I tell you." "Where are the Waynes?" asked Brainiac. "The parents are dead, and the kid is off somewhere in the world," said Alexander. Brainiac was about to say something else when he felt another spike in the DNA signal. For the first time in his life, he smiled with anticipation.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER X

The following day, I went to school planning my first real outing as Superman. I walked up to Jimmy a few minutes before our classes started, and he asked me, "What are you thinking?" "I'm thinking I should get the justice those guys wanted," I said, "I need to find out what happened to their friend." "What if he just did it to himself?" said Jimmy. "Meaning…?" I said. Jimmy sighed and said, "Well, what if the rumors aren't true? What if this football player is clean?" I took a few seconds to respond, eventually saying, "I…don't want to believe that. I don't want these guys to throw their lives away for something made up." "You'll have to accept it if it _is _the case," said Jimmy, "You know that, right?" I sighed, answering, "I know. I just don't want to." "You're not finished, are you?" asked Jimmy. "No," I said, "I…want to ask your help." "With what?" asked Jimmy. "You're sure," I said, surprised, "You want to be involved in this." "Yeah," said Jimmy, "If you really are going on some kind of goose chase, you'll need support." "Thanks, Jimmy," I said. "So, what is it you want me to help with?" asked Jimmy. I said, "I need some kind of photo documentation, if this guy really is involved in something." "I'll have my camera ready when you are," said Jimmy. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "You're a good friend, Jimmy." "So are you," said Jimmy, "I have to reciprocate." I smiled, and as the bell rung, I walked past Jimmy to my class.

After I left, Paige ran up to Jimmy, saying, "I'm late, so…I just really wanted to thank you for encouraging me the other day. My mom made you these." She held up a platter of brownies. Jimmy said, "Thank you, Paige." As he was taking the platter, his hand accidentally touched Paige's. She drew back, and Jimmy had to catch the platter. "The brownies are saved," he said, relieved. He looked at Paige, who was now fiddling with her messy hair. Jimmy said, "It must be hard." "Yeah," she said, "It's…different, around guys now…anyway, I'm sorry about dropping that." "No, it's fine," said Jimmy, "I understand." He smiled reassuringly, and Paige smiled back. Jimmy nodded and turned, walking to his class. Paige kept smiling as her brother walked up to her, leading her to her class. At lunch, I walked up to Jimmy, seeing the platter. I pointed at it and said, "Who's that from?" "Paige," said Jimmy, "Of all people." "You guys are going to have a beautiful relationship, I tell you," I said. "I don't know about that," said Jimmy, "She seems…reclusive now, at least around men. I don't think that'll help." "You'll earn her trust if I know you at all, Jimmy," I said. "We'll have to wait and see," said Jimmy. We got our food and walked over to our table, sitting. A few minutes later, I started to absentmindedly fiddle with my necklace, playing around with the engraved crystal on the end. Jimmy stopped chewing his fourth brownie, saying, "A logo." "A what now?" I said, confused. Jimmy got really focused, saying, "A _logo_. I said we needed a logo on your shirt for the Superman costume." He pointed emphatically at my logo, continuing, "That! That has to be the logo!" I stared at the symbol, thinking about Jimmy's idea.

I sighed and said, "My parents will find out the minute I show up on the news." "Then maybe if your parents have been hiding something, it'll come to light." "Or they'll go nuts over this and demand I stop," I said. Jimmy shrugged and said, "Either way, if you're going to do this, you need a logo. Every superhero has a logo." "None of those are _real people_," I said, "There _are no superheroes_ in real life right now! I'd look stupid with a logo!" "Well, remember the old warriors of the ancient world," said Jimmy, "They had logos on their shields. And they were _awesome_." "Fair point," I said, "But still…what would it even mean?" "Well, obviously, it'd stand for Superman," said Jimmy, "Like I've said before, it looks like an S. And a cool S, at that." I nodded grudgingly, saying, "Yeah, sure, but it's got to have some…_deeper _meaning, you know? Like, if it is some kind of alien thing, then it has to mean something beyond a simple S." Jimmy stared at it, saying, "Do you have any idea what it could mean, then?" I said, "Pfft, heck no. I don't have the faintest. None." Jimmy furrowed his brow, sticking out his lower jaw in deep thought. Eventually, he snapped his fingers and said, "Hey. If you _are _from some alien planet, just because you don't remember, doesn't mean you _can't_." I said, "How does that make any sense?" "Well, you know, for most people, it's like life starts when you're, what, three, right?" said Jimmy. I nodded slowly. Jimmy rubbed his hands together excitedly. I looked at him and said suspiciously, "What are you formulating?" "Something _very _cool," said Jimmy. I sighed, gesturing for him to continue.

He grinned, saying, "Well, the memories _before _you turned three are still there. You just can't access them as easily." "And how would we 'access' them?" I asked. Jimmy said, "Well, there's hypnosis, but that usually requires you to speak, so that might end up a little weird. I think a better track to use would be rattling off different words until something clicks." "You want to start now?" I asked. "We could," said Jimmy, shrugging, "Don't know if it would be the best, though." "Let's do it," I said. "You serious?" asked Jimmy. I nodded emphatically. Jimmy said, "Okay, uh…fire." I shook my head. Jimmy sighed and said, "Mmmm….power? Love? Patience? Muscles?" I had been just shaking my head up until Jimmy said 'muscles', at which time I said, "What? Muscles? How does that make any sense?" "Look, I don't have a pre-prepared list, okay?" said Jimmy, indignant, "You'll have to take what you can get right now." I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine. Continue." Jimmy tapped his fingers on the surface of the table for a few seconds. He began, "Regality? Humorous? Intelligence?" All these didn't connect, and each time, with each shake of my head, my frustration grew. Jimmy kept saying words that had no discernible connection to each other. Soon, he said, "Hope?" Suddenly, for reasons unknown to me, I suddenly heard a faint, "Just remember hope." "Dad?" I whispered. "What?" said Jimmy, surprised, "Did that one actually work?" I grinned widely, saying, "I think it did!" Jimmy and I performed a bro high five, and he said very loudly, "HOPE!" Unbeknownst to Jimmy, a girl named Hope was passing behind him.

She turned and said, "Yes?" "Oh, sorry, I wasn't…talking about you," said Jimmy awkwardly. Hope raised her left eyebrow and turned, walking off. Everyone else who'd heard Jimmy's exclamation and also turned went back to eating lunch. Jimmy said, "Got a little too excited, I guess." "I think you're right," I said, laughing. Jimmy said, "But, seriously, hope! That's like, the best meaning for a superhero logo!" "All right," I said, "So do you think we should make it today, or what?" "Well, we have to figure out where to keep it," said Jimmy, "I mean, your parents seeing Superman on the news is one thing, but some random person finding your costume…" I nodded, saying, "Makes sense. What about in my locker?" "Maybe," said Jimmy, "Unless someone decides Clark Kent's locker is worth pillaging." "Yeah, _that_'ll happen anytime soon," I said. "There's still a risk," said Jimmy, "Keep thinking. What about…your barn?" "How?" I asked. Jimmy said, "Well…we could make some loose floorboards we could remove anytime we need it, dig a hole, and if you have any boxes…" He trailed off, waiting for my input. I said, "Well, that'll really only work as long as my parents don't realize who Superman is. And we both know how unlikely that'll be." "Well, for however long they don't see the logo, it'll be okay," said Jimmy, "I mean, they haven't seen that jump of yours, right?" "Not that I'm aware of," I said. The bell rang, and as we got up, Jimmy said, "We'll have to discuss this further. See you later." "Bye," I said. I walked to my class, worrying about what my parents would think.

Later, I helped my dad out working the general store for the last few hours before it closed. About an hour before closing, I was cleaning the counter, and my dad said, "Hey, Clark, we just ran out of aspirin. I'm going to restock those shelves. Work the register, will you?" I nodded, continuing to clean the counter but looking out for any customers. I heard the door chime, and I said, "Welcome to the Kent's general store." I saw that she was probably in her early forties, with bright blond hair. She immediately walked over to our small selection of wine, picking up a large bottle. She brought it over to the register, and I asked, "Long work day?" "Oh, yes," she said, "I love your wines, by the way. Where do you get them?" "My dad's got a cousin in Italy," I said, "Runs his own wine business." "Well, he certainly runs it well," she said. Something on her shirt suddenly caught my eye. It was a chrome name tag. I pointed at it, saying, "Hey, are you Paige's mom?" She nodded, saying, "Yes." "How-how're things going with her, you know, with…everything?" I asked, surprised. She sighed, saying, "I wish I could say something good. She's just…pulling away. I mean, after all that's happened, I don't know how it's going to be." "Just…encourage her," I said, "At the very least." She smiled weakly and said, "Thank you." "Oh, by the way," I said, "Paige was able to get those brownies you made to Jimmy. I'm glad that you and Paige both appreciate his words." Paige's mom furrowed her brow, saying, "I-I didn't make any brownies. I mean, I was going to, but I just haven't found the time." "Is that so?" I said. I smirked. "What is it?" asked Paige's mom. "I think…your daughter is in love with Jimmy Olsen," I said, chuckling. My chuckling grew to jubilant laughter, saying, "This is _really _good." Paige's mom also began laughing, and after we both finished, she paid, thanked me for everything, and walked out, seemingly much happier.

I smiled, clapped once loudly, and said, "Jimmy, you did it. You did it, bro." My dad walked up, saying, "What were you laughing about? You sounded about as crazy as Howlin' Mad Murdock." "Or as happy as Hannibal Smith on the jazz," I said, returning my dad's A-Team reference. My dad leaned on the counter, saying, "Seriously, what's got you so loud?" "It's Jimmy," I said, "Remember that girl I told you about? The one that called him a ginger?" My dad nodded, saying, "Oh, yes. What about her, then?" I grinned and said, "I think she wants to get with my best friend." My dad smiled, saying, "Wouldn't that be something?" "More than just 'something'," I said happily. "This calls for celebration," said my dad, "What say after we close up, we go and grab a Coke?" "Sounds good to me," I said. For the rest of the hour, whatever other person showed up was greeted by a merry cashier. The realization that Paige and Jimmy might just get together after all lifted my spirits considerably. After we closed up, my dad and I headed to a soda shop just down the road. We bought two Coca-Colas, both glass. "Ah, this brings me back," said my dad, "Ten years old, reading a comic book and drinking some nice, authentic Coke." "Thanks for this, Dad," I said, "I think I'll keep this bottle." "May as well," said my dad. "You know, I think I'll call Jimmy," I said. "Go on," said my dad, "It's not every day your best friend gets this kind of news." I nodded, getting out my phone. "Hey, Jimmy," I said, "I got some news. I think Paige has the same feelings for you that you have for her." I took a sip of my soda as I heard Jimmy whooping for joy over the phone.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER XI

The following day after school, I walked up to Jimmy and said, "Jimmy, it's going down tonight." "What is?" asked Jimmy. I answered, "I'm going to find out what happened to that kid in one night, starting with a few questions for our football player." "Are you sure you shouldn't prepare a little bit more?" asked Jimmy. "I think I can take on a football player," I said. "Okay, you're right," said Jimmy. We walked to his car, and I said, "We should meet up somewhere. I'll need you and your camera if something turns up." "Maybe down the street from the guy's house?" said Jimmy. "That'd work," I said. Jimmy drove to my place, dropping me off. My mom immediately greeted me by saying, "How was school?" "Not bad," I said, "I got an A on my history paper." "No doubt," said my mom. "I'm going to do some studying," I said, heading off to my room. "You don't have to ask me to do _that_," said my mom. I did in fact study, though the whole time, I was thinking about my little "mission". That night, I put my alarm in my bed and turned it down just enough so that only I'd hear it. I called Jimmy just before I went to sleep, telling him to do the same. It went off at about midnight, just after my parents went to sleep. After I woke up, I carefully went up to the attic, grabbing most of my costume. I got on the combat boots, cargo pants, cutoff gloves, and the ski mask. I went back down to my room, taking off my necklace and grabbing a blue shirt. I'd already sent the shirt to Jimmy and had him sew the logo onto the front the day before (his mother taught him to sew). Finally, I put on a black hoodie. "All right, Superman," I said to myself, "Let's head out." I carefully opened my window, jumping a few feet to the ground.

I jumped my way to Jimmy's house, eventually landing right next to his bedroom window. I lightly rapped on his window, and Jimmy opened it a few seconds later. "Looking good, man," said Jimmy. I hopped through his window, landing in his room. "You ready?" I asked. "Yeah," he said, holding up his camera. "Good," I said, "Are we going out in your car?" "No," said Jimmy, "My parents are light sleepers. They'd hear me starting it up." "What?" I said, "The guy we're going after lives on the other side of town! We aren't just going to walk, are we?" "Well…" Jimmy trailed off. A few seconds later, I was standing outside Jimmy's house, carrying him. "Sorry, dude," said Jimmy, "We have to adjust." I stared straight ahead, saying, "Just don't make eye contact, please." "Got it," said Jimmy. I jumped all the way to the block where the guy lived, taking about ten minutes. I stopped on the entrance, setting Jimmy down and saying, "Next time we do something like this, tell me in advance if we can't use your car." "I'll do that," said Jimmy. He reached in his pocket and said, "Here you go. We can use this to keep in contact." He handed me an earpiece. I took off the ski mask, putting the earpiece on and putting the mask back on. "All right, let's do this," I said. Jimmy nodded, and I jumped away, reaching the guy's house in just a few jumps. I went up to his window, using my strength to pull up on the window, breaking the locks and opening it. This woke him up. He shook his head, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and beginning, "What the…?" I clapped my hand over his mouth, saying quietly, "Stay quiet. Try to call for help, and I won't be so gentle." He nodded frantically, and I pulled my hand away, walking backwards a few steps.

I crossed my arms as he got a good look at me. He asked, "Who are you?" "Just call me Superman," I said. "Wait, the guys who ransacked the school said you were there," he said. "That I was," I said, "And now I'm here because of why _they _were there." "You aren't coming to kill me, are you?" he said, starting to panic. "No," I said, "I just want some truth from you, Brent. Did you act as a middleman for a drug dealer and sell the drugs to Jackson Green?" Jackson Green was the kid who'd died, and who the robbers were hoping to avenge. Brent said, "What? No, I've never heard of Jackson Green." "Are you sure?" I said menacingly, "Because if you're not telling the truth, I might have to get a little more…forceful." Brent started stammering, "N-no, I-I'm telling the truth!" I raised my fist, growling, "Really? The whole truth?" Brent got to the opposite of the room in an attempt to distance himself from me, saying, "Fine, fine! I bought from this big-time guy, Count Vertigo! You can look under my mattress! B-but I swear I never gave anything to this Jackson kid! He had to have bought it himself!" "Where's Vertigo now?" I asked, my fist still raised. He shrugged, saying, "I don't know! He's probably somewhere halfway across the country! He never stays in one place long enough to be found!" I sighed, lowering my fist and lifting Brent's mattress. I saw a small bottle of green pills. I grabbed it, crushing it into powder and throwing it outside. "I guess you really are telling the truth," I said. Brent asked nervously, "Are you going to call the police on me?" "No," I said, "I'm not going to wreck your life more than you've already done yourself." Brent sighed in relief, and I quietly exited his room, jumping back to Jimmy. He asked, "So, we got it?" "No," I said quietly. Jimmy said, "What? What happ…" I interrupted, "Just drop it for now, okay?" Jimmy said, "O-okay." I picked him up and got him back home, heading to my place immediately afterwards.

When I got back home, I took off my costume and somberly got into bed. _He really _did _do it to himself, _I thought. I felt as though becoming Superman was a mistake. The next morning, I got up a little slower than usual, grabbing a _very _light breakfast. My mom saw me and said, "What's going on?" "Didn't get a lot of sleep last night," I said, "I'm still a little sleepy, is all." "But you're never not hungry," said my mom, "What is it really? Come on, tell me." I sighed, saying, "I don't know…just the kids at my school, I guess. A lot of things are getting messed up." "You mean like those boys the other day?" asked my mom. "Yeah," I said, "That's…part of it." My mom realized I wouldn't budge, and she said, "I suppose you should head out to school now, huh?" "Yeah, I…probably should," I said. "Love you, son," said my mom. "I love you too, Mom," I said. I walked outside just as Jimmy pulled up. My mom watched out the window as I left, sighing and saying, "I hope you feel better, Clark." My dad walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. My mom hugged my dad, and my dad kissed her on the head, saying, "He's a fine young man. He'll be okay." "You keep saying that, and it doesn't make it seem any more likely," said my mom doubtfully. My dad said, "Just remember it's not impossible, Martha." My parents fell silent after that, and they stood in the front room of our house for a few minutes, just worrying about me. As Jimmy drove down the road with me in the passenger seat, I rubbed my face and said, "Hey, uh…sorry about last night, I just…you were…right about the whole thing." Jimmy didn't respond for a few seconds.

Eventually, he sighed. I looked at him, saying, "What? No gloating, no 'I told you so'?" "Why should I do either of those?" said Jimmy, "It's terrible. So what if I'm right? That just means that this kid got himself killed. What kind of person would I be if I gloated about being right about that?" I nodded, saying, "I get it. But still…I don't think I'm ready for something like this to happen again." We'd just reached the school parking lot when I'd said this. Just after we parked, Jimmy said, "What's that supposed to mean?" "You said I had to be ready if you were right," I said, "I wasn't. I don't think I could be if this happened again." I paused, trying to choose my next words carefully. I finished, "I think Superman was a mistake." Jimmy was shocked, saying, "What? You can't just abandon this!" "I'm going to have to," I said, "I almost hurt that Brent kid. I'm at too much of a risk of abusing all these powers. Maybe I just shouldn't use them." "Come on," said Jimmy, "You'll get better at controlling them!" "That's the thing," I said, "Even if I did get better, everyone around me seems to have bad stuff happen to them." Jimmy scoffed and said, "You can't possibly blame yourself for what happened to Paige, or that druggie kid! You couldn't have done anything about it!" "But…what if I could have?" I said, "I mean, you heard what was happening to Paige before I did!" Jimmy seemed frustrated, sighing and saying, "Just…you know what, fine. I'll just drop it." "Thank you," I said, "I'll see you at lunch." I left Jimmy without another word, heading off to class. As I went past the entrance, Paige was standing by the door, seemingly waiting. She asked, "Um, Clark, where's Jimmy?" Without looking at her, I said, "He's about to be in." "O-okay," said Paige, surprised. I walked off to my class, an unconscious scowl across my face.

Math passed in what seemed a short time, and I went into English. I didn't even take the time to talk to Jimmy in between, so I was the first in class. The teacher was listening to music on a set of headphones, with his feet propped up on his desk. His eyes were closed until I sat at my desk. His eyes flew open, and he lowered his feet, taking off his headphones and saying, "Hi, Clark. You look a little…disgruntled." "I'm more concerned about how you heard me so easily," I said. He shrugged, saying, "You listen to a lot of music through those things, you learn to hear over them. Now, let's go back to you. What's really happening?" "Just me and Jimmy Olsen," I said, "We're having a little bit of a…fight." The teacher wasn't fazed, saying, "Just talk it out." "How do you know that'll work?" I said. "Because contrary to popular belief, I actually _did _have friends in high school," he said, "I know how teenaged friends fight. If you talk about it, it should resolve itself." "_Should_?" I said skeptically. "There _is _the slim chance that this'll blow up your friendship," he said, "But I doubt that'll happen with you two. You're a phenomenal pair of friends." "Thanks…I guess," I said, "I'll…talk it out with Jimmy." "Sounds good," said my teacher. He returned to his music as the rest of the students filed in. I doubted the teacher's theory about 'talking it out', but I was willing to try it. I'd been dealing with a lot of things for days by that point, and I hadn't said anything to anyone in the right way. I intended on correcting that at lunch.

At this time, Paige and Jimmy were about to enter the same class, and beforehand, Jimmy and Paige had been having a light-hearted conversation, until Paige said, "You know, Clark seemed a little…off this morning. Is something going on?" "We're just…having a fight," said Jimmy, "You know, it's what friends do." Paige said, "You two should talk it out. I'd better get to class. See you later, Jimmy." As she went through the door, Jimmy said, "Wait, Paige." "Yes?" she asked. "Do you…" Jimmy trailed off, finishing, "Never mind." As he turned, Paige said, "Yes." Jimmy turned back around, smiling. "I'll see you later, Paige," he said. "You too," responded Paige sheepishly. Meanwhile, Alexander and Brainiac were once again on a plane, passing over Colorado. Brainiac suddenly tightly gripped his armrests, and Alexander stopped eating his smoked salmon, saying, "What's your deal?" "The signal," said Brainiac, "It has weakened significantly. I will not be able to determine exactly who it is coming from now." "Can we at least stay in his general vicinity?" asked Alexander, "'Cause I don't want to turn back so soon." "We can," said Brainiac, "We must." Brainiac relaxed, willing to wait however long it took to find his target.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER XII

At lunch that day, I approached Jimmy and started off, "Look…I shouldn't have been so mad about this whole thing. I know I shouldn't blame myself, but it's…just so difficult." Jimmy responded, "I should be the one apologizing. I pushed you into becoming Superman. If you feel like Superman just wasn't meant to be…I shouldn't get in the way. It's your life. It's your decision." "Thank you," I said, "Let's get lunch, okay?" Jimmy nodded, and we went through the line and ate our lunch. When I went home, I went to my parents and said, "Can I…talk to you guys about something?" My dad said, "You don't know how long we've waited to hear you say that." I nodded, sitting down on a chair. My parents were across from me on our sofa. I ran my hand through my hair, sighing and saying, "I…I need to know…if you're really my…birth parents." My mom and dad had their hands interweaved, and they looked each other in the eyes. They turned back to me, and my dad said, "Son…we aren't." I stared straight at the floor for a few seconds. Eventually, I looked up at my dad with tears in my eyes, saying, "Thank you." My mom began crying as well. I continued, "Do you…know where I came from? At all?" My dad slowly shook his head, saying, "You just…appeared. You were in this weird little…pod. I buried it in the fields. It's been so long, I couldn't find it now." "How did you feel when you saw me?" I asked. My dad said, "Oh, it was the happiest day of our lives. We finally had a son. And even if you were from somewhere else, we would raise you the best we could." I looked at both of them in turn, saying, "Thanks for telling me." I got up, going over and hugging the both of them. I said softly, "I want to put this behind us. I want to be your son. I want to forget this." My parents hugged me back, and after a few minutes, we went about our days as if nothing happened.

Meanwhile, at that moment, Brainiac and Alexander were about to get to the city limits of Smallville, when Brainiac suddenly said, "The signal! NO!" Alexander had jumped because of how loud Brainiac had been, and he said, "What about it?" Brainiac said, "It has vanished completely!" Alexander yelled in disappointment, saying, "YOU MEAN I LEFT A PREMIUM ROOM IN A PREMIUM HOTEL TO GET HERE AND FIND NOTHING?! HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!" Brainiac took a few seconds to respond, calming himself. He eventually replied, "This does not mean our search has been in vain. It only means that our target has only become emotionally depressed or has chosen to forget about his Kryptonian abilities. He has chosen to forget his powers. He would only need to think of them again to activate the signal again." "Who knows how long that will take?" said Alexander, still outraged. "Not too long for us to wait for it," said Brainiac, "We could stay in the neighboring town here. I do not want to be noticed by our target." Alexander finally sighed and said, "Fine. Let's go." They went down the road to the next town, continuing their long waiting game. And back at Jimmy's house, Jimmy was about to press 'call' on his phone. He'd gotten Paige's phone number, but he was still nervous. His finger hovered over the button, and he tried to encourage himself by saying, "Come on. You know she loves you. You just have to prove to prove how much you love her. It can't be that hard." He eventually psyched himself up, pressing the button. Paige answered, saying, "Yes? Who is it?" "I-it's Jimmy," said Jimmy. "Oh, hi!" said Paige. Jimmy smiled, and his courage was finally welled up enough to allow him to give her a long speech about how much he loved her. At the end of it, Paige said through tears, "That was beautiful. Thank you, Jimmy." Jimmy smiled even wider, and the two continued to talk happily.

One year passed. Jimmy and I were both eighteen, we'd both graduated, and Jimmy and Paige were in a steady relationship. We were accepted to Metropolis University, an Ivy League college in Metropolis, Delaware. Our parents were so ecstatic that they both pitched in for plane tickets for Jimmy and me. Just a few weeks after we graduated, we were about to board. Jimmy was on the phone with Paige, saying, "I'm about to board, babe. I'll call when we land…yeah, I'll Skype as soon as I can…okay. Sounds good…all right, love you. Bye." After he hung up, I said, "I don't think I'll ever get used to you calling Paige 'babe'." "It's a boyfriend thing," said Jimmy, "You wouldn't understand." "Aw, now that was insensitive," I said, laughing. "Well, hey, there's that girl Lois," said Jimmy. I responded, "We always come back to Lois. We'll see." "And I'll be your wingman when we do," said Jimmy. "You'd better be," I said. After getting on the plane, I fiddled a little with my necklace. I hadn't thought about Superman for a long time, and I'd never tried to look any further into my biological parents. Jonathan and Martha Kent were (and still are) Mom and Dad to me. As we passed over the Delaware border, Jimmy said, "You ready for the college experience?" "Let's hope so," I said, "At least I'll have fun writing for journalism." "And _I'll _have fun studying photography," said Jimmy, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a short power nap before we land." Jimmy put his headphones on, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Once we got off the plane, we took a taxi over to the college. After copious amounts of lugging our personal belongings into our dorm, we both sighed. I said, "So, how about we head to the Daily Planet?" Jimmy said, "You can. I'm tired, dude. Besides, my interview is tomorrow." "All right, I'll go, then," I said. The Daily Planet wasn't very far from the university, so I just walked. Upon entering the building, I walked up to a secretary at the front, saying, "Hi, I'm Clark Kent. I set up an interview with Mr. White the other day." "Okay, let me see here," said the secretary. She smiled after a few seconds, saying, "You're just in time. Miss Lane will escort you." "Thank you," I said. I heard a girl say, "So, you're Clark Kent? Not really someone I'd peg as a journalist." I laughed, turning towards the voice and beginning, "Why, because of my hair, or som…" I had to keep my jaw from dropping as I turned and saw a sharp-dressed girl…with silky black hair, beautiful blue eyes, and bright pink lips. Exactly, and I mean _exactly, _how I saw her on my high school football field. I gulped and said, "You would be Lois Lane, right?" "Yeah," said Lois, "I would be." She extended her hand, and I shook it tenderly. Even so, she said, "You have…quite a firm handshake, Clark." I said, "So I've been told." She smiled, turning and saying, "Follow me." We walked to the elevator, entering. I asked, "So, how long have you been here?" She shrugged and replied, "Only about a year-and-a-half. I was in the middle of my junior year in high school." "Wow," I said, "You been promoted, or anything?" "Nah," she said, "I'm still only eighteen. Not really the age you get promoted at." "Ah," I said, nodding. We got off on the top floor, directly across from Perry White's office.

I snapped my fingers, saying, "Oh, yeah, your cousin's name is Paige, right?" Lois was confused, saying, "Yeah, why…?" I realized it had been over a year since we first met Paige. "She probably called you a lot about guys wanting to get into the Daily Planet, right?" I said. "Yeah, but she stopped after about a year ago," said Lois, "After she…after what happened." "Yeah, we heard about that," I said, "Well, my best friend and I were two of those guys." Lois winced, saying, "Oh, I'm so sorry about that." "It's no problem," I said, "In fact, my best friend is her boyfriend now." Lois' eyes widened, saying, "What? She never told me about that!" "Well, you should ask her," I said, smiling, "I'll see you later, I guess. I shouldn't miss my interview, after all." Lois nodded, staying in the elevator as it went back down to the ground floor. I walked through the door to Perry White's office, saying, "Hello?" Mr. White had his back to me, sitting in a large swivel chair. He turned around, saying, "You must be Mr. Kent. Have a seat." "Thanks," I said, sitting in a chair directly opposite of Mr. White. "So, I guess I'll start out with a simple question," said Mr. White, "What do you plan on doing here?" I thought about it, eventually responding, "I'd really like to write articles, interview people, you know, the works." "Any photography?" said Mr. White. I shrugged, saying, "I'm…okay at photography, I guess. It's really more my friend Jimmy's area." "Is he wanting to work here?" asked Mr. White. "Yeah," I answered, "He's got an interview here tomorrow, actually." "And you realize that he won't be working with you on every story you cover?" said Mr. White. "I'm fine with that," I said, "As long as we both have good work, we'll make it." "One can only hope," said Mr. White. Without another word, he looked out to his right, through one side of the room made of glass.

He looked back towards me, interlocking his fingers, gesturing with his head, and said, "You see that building over there?" I looked over at the skyscraper Mr. White had looked at. It had a large logo on the side that read, "LEXCORP". I nodded, saying, "That's, uh, Lex Luthor's company, right?" "Right," said Mr. White, "So, with that, let me pose a scenario: there are rumors going around that Lex Luthor's been cutting corners in…his business' accounting, or something of that sort. What direction would you go in?" I thought about it, soon responding, "Well…first, I'd go to employees, not directly to Luthor. He'd just try to save his own butt. The employees, though, might've noticed something different. They might even think they'd get a reward for ratting out their boss." "And then…?" said Mr. White. I thought about it some more. I said, "After I've collected enough info from the employees…I'd contrast their responses with any kind of record they have. Info from an untrustworthy person is untrustworthy info, after all. If it's unlikely any of them are telling the truth, I'll drop the whole thing. If I find enough reason to trust them, though, I'd probably go higher up the food chain, launch into investigation mode." "What if those employees are just lying to you?" said Mr. White, "What if they _don't _have any records, but they want to keep their jobs, so they don't risk their boss by telling the truth?" "I…" I said, "I have…methods." "What kind of methods?" asked Mr. White. I thought about my powers for a couple seconds, but instead, I said, "I've just…always been good with uncovering lies." "Okay," said Mr. White, "I think that'll do it. Come back next week. I'll have my decision by then." "Thank you, Mr. White," I said. I stood, shaking his hand, after which I exited his office with a smile on my face.

Back in Kansas, Alexander had just entered the hotel room he and Brainiac were staying in. He had just eaten lunch, and he said, "At least the cooking here's good." Brainiac said, "Alexander, the signal has reemerged." Alexander's eyes widened, and he said, "W-where?" Brainiac said, "In a state you call…Delaware." Alexander's excited smile melted, and he said, "Delaware? As in, like, directly south from Gotham?" Brainiac nodded, as if this fact held no importance. Alexander's eye twitched. He sighed and said, "All right, fine. Let's head there. How would the signal have come back?" "I've told you," said Brainiac, "He would only have to think about it. Evidently, he has, in a city called Metropolis." Alexander smiled again, saying, "Interesting." Brainiac didn't ask why Alexander found this interesting. Rather, he was only concerned with finally ending his eighteen-year pursuit.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER XIII

One week after Jimmy's interview, both he and I had jobs at The Daily Planet. That day, Mr. White called Jimmy, me, and Lois into his office. As we approached, Jimmy shook Lois' hand and said, "Hi. I'm Paige's boyfriend." "Nice to meet you," said Lois. "How haven't you guys met yet?" I asked. "I was off when Jimmy had his interview." We were all a little panicky, and Lois let out this energy through flipping a pen over and over again. Eventually, she dropped it, and a petite woman with oddly colored hair swooped in and grabbed it. She walked up to Lois, saying, "Here's your pen." "Thanks…Sylvia," said Lois, reading the woman's nametag. Sylvia grinned widely and walked off. "Who's she?" I asked. "No idea," said Lois, shrugging. We shook it off, walking into Mr. White's office. Upon entering, we saw Mr. White leaning against his desk, facing us with his arms crossed. He said, "You're on time. That's a good sign." Lois fidgeted uncomfortably. Mr. White said, "Now, I'm going to cut the whole 'wondering why I called you here' bit and cut to the chase." He turned to Lois, saying, "Lois, I once told you that if I found another couple photographers or writers around your age, I would let you cover your first story." He gestured towards Jimmy and me, finishing, "Here they are." Lois looked towards us. She suddenly hugged us both around our necks, saying loudly, "I COULD KISS YOU BOTH RIGHT NOW." "Whoa," said Jimmy, laughing, "I'm a committed man, see." I looked Lois in the eye, saying, "I wouldn't mind that." Lois' eyes widened, and she took a step back from us. Sheepishly, she said, "Sorry. I just got…caught up in the moment." The room fell silent for a few seconds, with Lois absentmindedly smoothing out her shirt over and over.

Mr. White eventually said, "Your first story, anyway, will be on something rather important: I want you three to co-construct a piece on the recent downtown shooting." All three of us were shocked. Lois said, "Wait, wait, wait. This is something really, _really _heavy, and you want _us, _the inexperienced fishes-out-of-water, to cover it?" Mr. White nodded, saying, "Of course, I'm not just entrusting you to do it. I have another team working on it right now. Once you're both done, I'll take a look at both pieces, and I'll decide which one runs in the paper." "What if you don't choose ours?" asked Jimmy. "We'll just have to find out, won't we?" said Mr. White, "You should head out." As we walked out of the office, Lois said, "This is great! Can you imagine this?" "I'm just glad our school semester doesn't start for a couple more weeks," I said. Jimmy said, "So, obviously, I'll handle the photos, but what about you two?" "I've always been a little awkward around most people," I said, "So I think Lois could handle interviews. I could write up the article." Lois nodded, saying, "Okay." "I still want to go with you guys, though," I said. Lois nodded. We headed outside, and I shouted, "TAXI!" Lois raised her eyebrows, saying, "You've got some strong lungs, there." "True, that," I said at regular volume. A taxi slowed to a stop in front of us. Unfortunately, we got in such a way that Lois was in the middle with Jimmy and me on either side. Lois made minute, awkward movements like she was trying to shrink using sheer brain power. The taxi driver said, "So, where to?" I gave the driver the location of the shooting, calm but painfully aware of how close my leg was to Lois'.

When we pulled up to the site, Jimmy calmly got out, followed by a frantic Lois bursting from the car. I got out afterwards, surveying the scene. Blood stains were everywhere, splattered on the walls and floor. Police photographers and crying bystanders were all over the place, showing how grim the whole thing was. I didn't want to spend any more time than was necessary. Immediately, Lois ran up to a police examiner, saying, "Sir, I want to ask you a few questions." "Okay, shoot," said the examiner. Lois went through several questions that were of no interest to me. And then she asked, "Do you think the number of casualties could've been lower?" The examiner sighed, answering, "Yeah, if there was a superhero here, maybe." I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying not to think about Superman. I stayed out of the way for the rest of our time there, taking notes on the crime scene. Jimmy was across the large room, taking sobering photos of body bags laid side by side. As I walked along the wall, I occasionally looked down at the white outlines on the floor. I eventually came across an outline for someone who was probably around four-and-a-half feet tall. _Maybe it was just a short woman, _I thought. I beckoned towards a police examiner, pointing at the outline and asking, "W-who, um…who was this?" The examiner solemnly made eye contact with me, saying, "Ten-year-old girl." He choked up, turning away and walking off. I looked at the outline again. I remembered what the previous examiner had said. _If there was a superhero here_. A few tears escaped my eyes before I quietly said to myself, "No, don't. Can't think about him." I dried my eyes. A few minutes later, I had already moved on to another part of the room, and Lois walked up to me, saying, "Okay, we're ready to head out…are you okay?" I looked at the floor and sighed.

I told her about the outline I'd seen. She said, "I'm sorry you had to see something like that." She took my left hand in both of hers, saying, "I hope you get to feeling better." "So do I," I said, putting on a smile. We walked out, getting another taxi. Lois made sure she wasn't in the middle this time, though she did force herself up against the door to avoid any awkwardness. Jimmy and I were dropped off at our dorm, while Lois was taken back to The Daily Planet. In our dorm, Jimmy said, "I'm not sure I'll like working for The Daily Planet if we keep running into stuff like that." "We'll have to deal with it, I guess," I said. "Having some difficulty with that," said Jimmy. "You and me both," I said. Later that night, I couldn't sleep, while Jimmy was out like a light. I rubbed my tired eyes, checking the time again. Eleven o' clock. "Great," I said. I sighed. I stood up, opening our dorm's window. It squeaked loudly, waking up Jimmy. He groaned, saying, "What's going on?" "I need to clear my head," I said. "You'll be back by dawn, right?" asked Jimmy. "I don't know," I said, jumping out the window. Jimmy sighed, going back to sleep. I closed our window, keeping it unlocked. I thought about jumping somewhere, but I didn't want to. Then, suddenly, the image of Lois popped into my head. I felt a little better. Then I realized that I couldn't feel the ground. I looked down, realizing I was hovering two inches over the grass. I finally found what came after jumping. I didn't want to use my powers, but then again, a small part of me did. I concentrated, floating slightly higher. I groaned, trying to will myself into the air. Eventually, I decided just to relax. I went up much faster, passing the top of the college in only a few seconds.

"Maybe I should see what this can really do," I said. I thought about going forward, but it only worked when I planked in the air. I looked forward, going faster. Soon, I was out of sight from the college. I laughed loudly, going faster and faster. I felt the wind whip across my face. I got so caught up in it that I didn't even notice how long I'd been going. But soon enough, I snapped out of it, realizing I must've gone for a few hours, judging from the fact that I was in the arctic. I landed on an ice floe, noticing that I wasn't cold. Then, suddenly, the crystal on my necklace starting pulling towards the water. I was confused and a little frightened, ripping off the necklace and throwing it to the water. I calmed down, putting my hands on my knees. I looked down into the water, saying, "Wonderful." Suddenly, a jarring rumbling went across the ice floe I was standing on. I flew upwards a couple feet. "What in the…?" I began. I was interrupted by a large, grayish crystal bursting out of the water. I rose even higher into the air as more and more giant crystals emerged. In just a few minutes, I had risen to about two hundred feet, and the crystals had congealed to form a gigantic, crystalline, castle-like structure. I slowly drifted to the ground, walking gingerly towards the entrance. Several vertical crystals blocked the way. I hesitantly placed the tips of my fingers on them. I heard a soft _snik _and felt a stinging sensation on my right index finger. I shook my hand, saying, "Ow!" I looked at the blood seeping out of my finger, realizing I'd never been cut before. The crystals opened up, revealing a cavernous room with a single pillar in the middle. The pillar had a line down the middle. "That thing must open up," I said. I walked forward a few more steps, until a holographic touch-screen appeared in front of me.

A multitude of different, unfamiliar scripts appeared on the screen. I scrolled down, finding even more strange written languages. "It must want me to choose my language," I said, "Cool." I scrolled down for a few more minutes, eventually saying in exasperation, "Come on, where are you? Where's English?" The touch-screen disappeared, and I heard a loud, echoing, male voice say, "Language chosen." A few seconds later, a strange, crystalline, robotic thing rose up out of the floor. Instead of having legs, it seemed to move using a ball attached to the bottom. It had two humanoid arms, however. It also possessed a round, white head with a black screen for a face. It rolled towards me, stopping just a few inches short. I nervously tapped its face. It drew back and said, "Sir, I must ask you to stop. I haven't finished the scan." "Who are you?" I asked. "Just call me Kelex," said the robot, still "staring" at me. Two seconds later, Kelex said, "All done. IDENTITY CONFIRMED!" Nothing happened. Kelex looked around, expecting something to happen. "Oh, wait a minute," he said, "I forgot. I'm getting a little rusty after eighteen years. Earth years, that is." He clapped, then repeated, "IDENTITY CONFIRMED!" A bunch more of the blue touch-screens appeared on the walls. Kelex coughed as well as a robot could, saying, "Explanation time. This, my boy," he threw his arms wide, "is the product of your necklace." "I figured," I said, "Now, where are you…?" "Up, bup, bup!" said Kelex, "That'll come in a minute." I waited patiently for Kelex to continue.

Eventually, he went on, "Anyway, your necklace is actually a piece of an old Kryptonian artifact. It was called the Eradicator, and yes, that carried a generally negative connotation. The Eradicator was designed to terra-form another planet to look like Krypton in the event that we'd need a new home. Now, unfortunately, Krypton's impending doom wasn't accepted by many Kryptonians, so your father, Jor-El, kept a small piece, just enough to create something of this size for one person: you. Besides, if the Eradicator was in full, it would be much larger and it would kill everyone on this planet. Now, for me. I am Kelex, a robot servant from Krypton in service to Jor-El. My AI was stored in your piece of the Eradicator for the purpose of what I'm doing now. I was reconstructed here, as you saw. Coincidentally, I also served as a midwife and ended up delivering you." I said, "My dad was named Jor-El?" "Yes, but right now what's more important is what he wanted you to have," said Kelex. The pillar opened up, revealing a costume. The torso, upper arms and legs, and head were all blue, while the attached gloves, boots, and cape were red. There was a hood and partial mask on the head. And across the chest, there was a red, irregular pentagon with a large S in the middle. It was Superman.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER XIV

I walked closer to the costume, asking Kelex, "What's this made out of?" "The same material this place is made of," said Kelex, "But thinner and more flexible. It'll enhance your invulnerability and flying capabilities." I ran my hand across the logo, saying, "And my dad wanted me to have this?" "Yes," said Kelex, "Jor-El wanted you to help these people." "Do you have, like, a recording of him, or something?" I asked. "No," said Kelex sadly, "All I have of your father is his image." He looked towards a random spot on the floor, projecting a hologram of Jor-El. He had dark, messy, shoulder-length hair, closely cropped facial hair, and callous hands. He wore simple, white garments. "What about my mother?" I said. Kelex said, "She didn't want you to go through the pain of seeing her but knowing she's not there. Besides, if you think hard enough, you'll remember her." "What was her name?" I asked. "Lara," said Kelex. I closed my eyes and thought. I suddenly saw a fuzzy image of a tired, sweating woman with long, dark hair. She'd obviously just given birth. That has to be my mother, I thought. "Thanks, Kelex," I said. "I was built to serve you," said Kelex. Suddenly, he froze for a few seconds. "What is it, Ke…?" I began. "SHH," said Kelex urgently, "I need to concentrate." The room became eerily quiet as Kelex cocked his head to the side. He began muttering, "Oh, no. This isn't good…" "What is it?" I said, alarmed. "Brainiac," said Kelex. "Sorry?" I said, confused. "He's an android," said Kelex, "Your father and his friend, General Zod, created him. He was meant to defend Krypton in the event of such a thing as a cataclysmic war." "What happened to him?" I asked. "Jor-El and Zod underestimated Brainiac's sentience. He ignored the war he was meant to stop and…destroyed the planet." "So…I'm the last member of these aliens?" I asked. "Not quite," said Kelex, "Brainiac shrunk the entirety of the city of Kandor. That means that, including you, there are probably…seven thousand Kryptonians still alive." "Do I have any siblings, or cousins?" "No," said Kelex, "All of your family, extended or not, perished on Krypton." I looked at the floor, sorrowful.

"What does Brainiac look like?" I asked. "You'll know him when you see him," said Kelex, "But I may as well show you." He projected a hologram of Brainiac onto the floor. "That's…intimidating," I said. "Wait until you've seen him in person," said Kelex. "Where is he now?" I asked. Kelex replied, "Close to…Metropolis, Delaware." I swallowed nervously, saying, "That's where I live." "Then you'll have to go back and stop him," said Kelex. "Can I?" I asked nervously. "We can only hope," said Kelex, "Take the costume and go. The people need you now." I sighed, carefully taking the costume off the mannequin it was on. It was made to be firm, yet flexible. I slipped it on, throwing the hood onto my head and pulling the mask over my nose and mouth. "See you around, Kelex," I said, lifting off the floor. "And you as well," said Kelex, bowing. I nodded, rising higher and asking, "What's this place called, anyway?" "Your father referred to it as the Fortress of Solitude," said Kelex. I said, "I like that." I flew out of the Fortress, going way faster than I had gone without the costume. I broke the sound barrier quickly, creating a sonic boom that spread outwards from my torso. I got back to my dorm room around three o' clock in the morning, opening the window and climbing through. Jimmy was sitting awake on his bed. He saw the costume, raising his eyebrows and saying, "Just where did you go?" "I'll have to take you sometime," I said. I explained the Fortress, Kelex, and my Kryptonian heritage. "So, Superman is a go…again?" said Jimmy. "I guess so," I said. "At least the costume is pre-made," said Jimmy, "I like the mask." "Why?" I asked. Jimmy scoffed, saying, "Well, what if it wasn't there? It wouldn't take a second for someone to figure out you're Clark Kent. I mean, you wouldn't even be able to try to hide your identity. What would you use, glasses? Believe me, the mask is a saving grace." I sighed, knowing he was right.

I tapped my fingers against my leg for a few seconds, eventually saying, "But there's still a huge problem." Jimmy raised his right eyebrow, asking, "And that would be, what, exactly?" "An AI my biological dad made," I said. I explained Brainiac in full, just as Kelex had shown me. "Pretty freaky," said Jimmy, "What do you think you're going to do about him?" "I don't know," I said, shaking my head, "I mean, more than likely, he doesn't function like an AI created with Earth tech. I don't know if I can overload him, or something. All I do know is that he's coming for me, and he's probably figured out exactly where I live." "So, maybe just don't be Superman for a while longer," said Jimmy, "He already knows you're here. Maybe you can better prepare if you lay low for a few months." "I have a feeling he'd try to get me anyway," I responded, dropping onto my bed. I pulled back the hood and the mask, bouncing my right leg. I continued, "And if that is the case, then maybe...maybe it would be worth it to help people in the meantime. I won't gain anything by sitting around and waiting for him. He'll find me faster, heck yeah, but...I want to help. I've always tried to keep these powers under wraps. Now...I just don't want to. I have them for a reason. Maybe this is it." "Well, that's all well and good," said Jimmy, "But what time will you have between classes and work?" "We'll...cross that bridge when we get there," I said. "Not a very good plan, but okay," said Jimmy, "Let's get some sleep." I silently complied, taking off the costume and hanging it behind a bunch of other clothes. I collapsed into my bed, dropping off to sleep almost immediately.

Meanwhile, Alexander and Brainiac had already arrived in Metropolis, and while Brainiac was raring to come after me, Alexander told him, "We have to meet up with someone first." Though he was confused, Brainiac went along with it, and they were soon picked up from the airport by a chauffeur, sent by the founder of Lexcorp himself. Brainiac and Alexander got in the limo, facing each other. Alexander extracted a champagne bottle along with a small glass from a mini-fridge. He opened the bottle, pouring himself a glass. He took a sip, resealing the bottle and placing it back in the mini-fridge. "It really is too bad you can't drink," said Alexander, "I feel you'd be quite the connoisseur." Brainiac didn't respond. Alexander said, "Just can't hold a conversation with you, can I?" He took another sip of his champagne. As they neared the Lexcorp building, Brainiac said, "What is this?" "Remember how I called Wayne Enterprises the epitome of big business on the East side of the USA?" said Alexander, "Well, this is a close second. And Wayne Enterprises might have cut back on their old dealings in the arms trade, but here...business is booming." The limo pulled up to the front doors of the building, parking. Brainiac and Alexander exited the limo, walking towards the doors. They went through, approaching the main elevators in the lobby. They went to the top floor, stepping out onto the marble tiles lining it.

Alexander went up to Mercy, who was typing at an exceedingly fast rate on the PC in front of her. Alexander said, "Uh, Mercy? I'm going to need you to notify Mr. Luthor that I'm here." Mercy looked up just as Brainiac decided to approach. Suddenly, she stood up, her arm expanding and transforming into a fearsome weapon. "Huh," said Alexander, "Forgot you could do that." He turned to Brainiac, saying, "This lovely lady here used to be my bodyguard...until an unfortunate incident with an experimental explosive device. I had her arm replaced through several illegal connections with the US army. But it's better than any old prosthetic, as you can see." He turned back to Mercy, saying, "You can put that away. He's with me." He handed her several hundred-dollar bills, finishing, "Buy yourself something nice. A pretty girl like you deserves it." Mercy stared at Alexander, deactivating her arm and snatching the money out of his hand, all while gesturing with her head for them to go into Luthor's office. They entered, and Luthor was already sitting at the head of his large conference table. Brainiac sat directly opposite from him, and Alexander sat next to Brainiac. Luthor was intrigued, saying, "This the robot you were telling me about?" "Android," Alexander corrected, "And yes." "How'd you find him?" asked Luthor. Alexander said, "I was messing around with some kind of lab equipment somewhere in Sweden - by the way, Swedish girls really are hot - and I came across an unidentified signal...well, several of them. I guess I just accidentally tuned into the right frequency. And the biggest one," he pointed to Brainiac, "was this guy. Found him in St. Petersburg." "What about those other signals?" asked Luthor. Alexander thought for a few seconds, trying to remember.

"None of them were as big as Brainiac," Alexander finally answered, "but they were similar. I think they're all variations of what powers Brainiac." "Kryptonite, right?" said Luthor. "That is what we dubbed it," said Brainiac. "How was kryptonite made?" Luthor asked Brainiac. Brainiac quickly responded, "My creators blasted pieces of rock from our planet with several kinds of radioactivity. It took them six tries before they produced the kind that powers me." "How'd those other kinds end up here, too?" asked Luthor. "It's likely they were attracted to mine," said Brainiac, "And they were overtaken by Earth's gravity when I neared its atmosphere." "What are those other kinds?" asked Luthor. Brainiac said, "I do not possess the answer. My creators feared that if anyone were to come across the other kinds, they would use them uninhibitedly. They did not even write of them, and I do not know where they are." Alexander nodded, saying, "I wouldn't be able to find them, either. I lost the frequency shortly after I found Brainiac, and I don't think I could find it again." Luthor seemed satisfied with these answers. He nodded, and continued to move on to another, more important question. "What exactly is this 'mission' of yours Alexander keeps telling me about?" he asked. Brainiac said, "I am on the hunt for my creator's son. I must destroy him. Otherwise, the inferior seed he carries within him might be spread." Alexander furrowed his brow.

He asked, "Wait. 'Seed', as in, like, sperm? The...baby-making...stuff?" "Yes," said Brainiac, "The reproductive systems of humans and Kryptonians are very similar. You see, the Kryptonian peni..." Alexander interrupted, "DON'T NEED TO HEAR ABOUT IT." Alexander took a deep breath, saying, "That was close. Anyway, Brainiac, you were talking about your mission?" Brainiac seemed confused, saying, "No, I was talking about the male Kryptonian reproduc..." "I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR IT," Alexander interrupted again. He exhaled for a few seconds, eventually finishing, "We can talk about...all that...later. Right now, we just need to hear about your mission." Brainiac didn't seem fazed, continuing, "My creator was simply inferior. I cannot allow his bloodline to survive. That would mean ultimate failure." Luthor had furrowed his brow, saying, "All right. I suppose we can work with you, Brainiac." "That's that, then," said Alexander, "See you, Luthor." "See you, boss," said Luthor. Alexander nodded, getting up and walking out, with Brainiac close behind. They boarded the elevator, and as the doors closed, the last thing they heard in the top floor was Mercy, still clacking away at the PC in front of her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: JUNE 6TH MARKED ONE YEAR OF POSTING FOR ME. I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL MY FOLLOWERS, ESPECIALLY: LOGANAUSTINGRASSO, CELGRESS, SHADACIA RENEELIA, TICHEPOTATO, MSRHEYRHEY, PHYREPHLY, SON OF WHITEBEARD, SYLVIA SILVERBLOOD, AND LAST BUT NEVER LEAST, CHARMSNITCH364! YOU GUYS ARE MY STRONGEST SUPPORTERS, AND I'LL ALWAYS DO MY BEST TO DELIVER FOR YOU!


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER XV

It was two days later when we turned in the completed write-up for the shooting. Mr. White didn't even look at it, throwing it on his desk. Lois said, "You're not even going to...skim it, or something?" "No, no," said Mr. White, "I'll read it along with the other team's write-up in a few minutes. Tomorrow morning, you'll find out who got their write-up in the paper." He finished, "For now, why don't you go get yourselves a good milkshake, or whatever's trending right now?" "A milkshake sounds good," I said, looking towards Lois and Jimmy. We walked out of Mr. White's office, taking the elevator to the bottom floor. We walked out of the lobby, and fortunately for us, there's a Steak N' Shake directly across the street from the Daily Planet. Once we ordered, Lois furrowed her brow and said to me, "Two quarter-pound burgers with everything on them and a large chocolate shake?" "I'm hungry," I said defensively. Jimmy said, "Believe me, his mother and every place he's ordered from has had to cook overtime ever since he hit fourteen." Lois suddenly lifted up my shirt, just enough so she could give me a light punch to my abs. She said, "Perfect washboard abs." She looked up to my face, saying, "I'm not afraid to admit that I'm very jealous of you right now." "What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused. Lois pointed to her belly, saying, "Right now, this is near perfect. And that's come from a lot of exercise and a lot of restraint. You don't need to show any!" I smiled, saying, "Huh. You're right." Lois gave an exasperated sigh as we sat down to wait for our order.

After we got our food, I was already half-way through my first burger before Jimmy said, "What do you guys think of our chances?" "I checked out the team we're up against," said Lois, "They're veterans. Pros. I don't like our chances at all." "I'm kind of doubtful, myself," I said, "I was nervous about this whole thing even when I was writing the main article. I think a lot of tact went out the window." I sighed and took another bite of my burger while Lois gave me a two-second death glare of jealousy. Jimmy said, "I think our chances are good! I like the photos I took. Lois, you had some pretty good questions, and Clark, you're an English virtuoso! I'm not worried about the other team. I bet we'll see our write-up tomorrow morning." Lois and I rolled our eyes at Jimmy, doubting our chances severely. After we ate, we said our goodbyes, and Jimmy and I got a taxi back to the university. When we got back, we immediately decided to veg out with Netflix on a small TV Jimmy had brought. It was about fifteen minutes into our third Doctor Who episode in our session when Jimmy noticed that I wasn't paying attention. He paused it, saying, "Dude. This is Blink. BLINK. The first episode with the Weeping Angels, and you're not watching? What's on your mind?" I looked over at him, saying, "I think I'm really attracted to Lois." "I knew this day would come," said Jimmy, "What makes you say that?" "Well, first, she's just physically hot," I said, "Second, she's very, very bold. Third, she's not afraid to admit she'd rather have two burgers than one. And fourth, she's committed, as evidenced by her willingness not to have the second burger." Jimmy snorted, saying, "She sounds like a 'strong, independent woman, who don't need a man' by how you're describing her." I shrugged, saying, "I hope not. Let's get back to Doctor Who." Jimmy played the episode, and we didn't mention Lois for the rest of it.

Meanwhile, Lois was on the phone with Paige. They were talking about Jimmy at the moment. Paige was saying, "Jimmy sent me this really pretty necklace the other day! I should send you a photo." "Nah, it's okay," said Lois, "I'll see it when I come visit next time." Paige said, "Hey, that reminds me: what do you think of Jimmy's friend?" "Clark?" said Lois. She sighed, continuing, "I don't know. He's cute, yeah, but...he seems a little weird." "I don't know," said Paige, "He seems like the perfect fit for you." Lois began biting her nails, saying, "How do you figure?" "Hey, are you biting your nails?" asked Paige. Lois immediately stopped, saying, "No." "Yeah, you were," said Paige, laughing. Lois rolled her eyes, saying, "So? What's that got to do with anything?" "I know you, Lois," said Paige, "And you bite your nails when you're nervous or unsure. You're not sure you really aren't attracted to Clark!" "That's beside the point," said Lois, "Why do you think we'd be perfect?" "I'm not entirely sure," said Paige, "But I've always thought you'd only work with a strong guy; not just physically, but emotionally, too. I think Clark has that." Lois shrugged, saying, "Maybe. I guess I'll just think about it." "Give him a chance, Lois," said Paige. "I will, Paige," said Lois, a little exasperated, "All right, I'll have to talk to you later. Love you, cuz." "Love you, too," said Paige. Because Lois had been lying on her back, she rolled off her bed, standing up and stretching. She looked out her window before walking over to her PC and writing random thoughts.

That night, I decided to resume my career as Superman. Some weird things had been going down in the middle of the city, including, but not limited to: hot dog stands dancing the tango, pantsuits from department stores forming a conga line, staplers in an office performing various Irish jigs, and bathroom stall doors creating stomp music. When the first witness reports came in, they were disregarded. But then many, many more came in, and the problem became very real and very serious. So, even though I had no idea what could be happening, I threw on the Superman costume. I turned to Jimmy, saying, "Now my parents will definitely find out." "Maybe," said Jimmy, checking his camera, "You ready?" "Yeah," I said, "You?" "I'm fine," said Jimmy, "And I'll take a taxi this time." "Good," I said. I flew out of our dorm window, heading to the center of the commotion. I saw all the weird things happening, saying, "What the heck could cause this?" And then I saw him, maybe because he was flying, too: a short, oddly proportioned man in a tiny, multicolored tuxedo and a polka-dot bowler hat. He had silver hair in a strange style, and he was mostly bald. I was confused, but still, I approached him, saying, "What's your business here?" "Dancing," said the man in a weird, joyous-sounding voice, "There's not enough around here. And if the people won't do it, why not the inanimate objects?" "Because that just doesn't happen," I said. "It does where I come from," said the man, smiling widely. I furrowed my brow. This guy was...different.

The man suddenly widened his eyes, saying, "Oh, nearly forgot! I have to introduce myself! My name is Mr. Mxyzptlk!" "I-I'm sorry?" I said. "Mr. Mxyzptlk, citizen of the fifth dimension," said Mxyzptlk, "Here's my card." He burped, and a business card launched out of his mouth. I caught it. On the front, it read simply, "Mr. Mxyzptlk, citizen of the fifth dimension". "You just told me this," I said. "I know," said Mxyzptlk, "I haven't made a business card before, so I figured, why not?" For whatever reason, I stuck the business card into my glove. Mxyzptlk seemed confused, saying, "How'd you make it disappear?" "I just...put it in my glove," I said, equally confused. Mxyzptlk smacked his forehead, saying, "Oh! I'm sorry, I just fall for things pretty easily." "Okay," I said, "Look, I have to ask you to stop. You're disrupting everyone else will all this." "You can't make me leave," said Mxyzptlk. "Really?" I said, panicking. Mxyzptlk laughed and said, "I'm just kidding with you. You'd have to make my say my name backwards, but that'll never...aw, man! Mxy, you and your stupid running mouth!" He smacked his forehead again. I was severely confused and suddenly suspicious of the quality of the food I had earlier that day.

Mxyzptlk suddenly said, "You should actually be grateful for me." "Why?" I asked. Mxyzptlk said, "I'm from the fifth dimension, meaning that I carry with me a load of extra-dimensional powers, meaning that the android tracking you can't find you as long as you're near me. My powers are screwing up your signal!" "I still need you to leave, as useful as you'd be," I said. "Well, you already know how to get rid of me," said Mxyzptlk, "But again, it's not like it'll ever happen." "And, wait a second," I said, "How do you know about Brainiac?" "Oh, we in the fifth dimension know a lot," said Mxyzptlk, "I know about John Corben. I know about Pseudo. I know about Jonathan Crane. I know a lot, not all of it concerning you." I had no idea what those names meant. I asked, "Wait, 'we'?" "What'd you think, I'm the only guy from the fifth dimension?" said Mxyzptlk, "No, no. There are many others. In fact, I think there's a kid not living too far from me trying to get through to here...but he's about ten years from doing that! What was his name again?...something-Mite. What was the first word? Ah, well, anyway, you get it." Mxyzptlk turned to the reader and said, "You like that foreshadowing? Eh? Eh? It's pretty nice, isn't it? You know, it's pretty funny, Kuraun sometimes just makes these things up as he goes along to reach his length quota." The writer shouted at Mxyzptlk, "SHUT UP AND LET SUPERMAN TALK." Mxyzptlk raised his hands in mock surrender, and I asked, "Who're you talking to? And who's Kuraun?" "No one you know," said Mxyzptlk. I decided I couldn't let this go on any longer, so in desperation, I threw a punch towards Mxyzptlk.

With a loud CRACK, Mxyzptlk teleported to a spot a few feet away from me. He had an angry, betrayed frown on his face. "And after I tried being nice to you," said Mxyzptlk. He slowly lifted his arms with the frown still on his face while saying, "By the way, I don't actually have to do this. It's just more dramatic." "I figured," I said nervously. All the objects that had been previously dancing began to float upwards, and Mxyzptlk threw them at me. I knew I had to solve this fast. I suddenly had an idea, grabbing the hot dog cart flying towards me. I snatched the card out of my glove and flew towards Mxyzptlk. I held the card up to the metal surface of the cart, saying to Mxyzptlk, "Look, I know you're mad, but I need to ask you: what does this reflection say?" The objects froze in midair, and Mxyzptlk squinted at the reflection, saying, "I'm...not sure. The letters look a little different backwards...but it looks like it reads...kltpzyxM." He immediately realized his mistake. A portal opened up behind him, and as he was slowly sucked in, he said, "Ah, whatever. I can come back after ninety days." He went through the portal, and a much louder CRACK resounded on the buildings in town. The portal, along with Mxyzptlk, was gone, and all the objects that had been under his control were back to their normal positions. I floated down to the ground, where a bewildered Jimmy was waiting with his camera.

I asked Jimmy, "You got the photos?" "Yeah," said Jimmy, "But...what the heck happened up there?" I explained Mxyzptlk and how he behaved, including the moment when he seemingly talked to no one. "Who's Kuraun?" asked Jimmy. "No idea," I said. "But, Jonathan Crane," said Jimmy, "I heard someone in the psych classes saying he was giving a visiting lecture. He's a psychology professor in New Jersey." "Do you think that means anything?" I asked. "Not sure," said Jimmy, "But let's not worry about it for now." "You're right," I said. As I flew away, I sighed and said, "It's been a weird day." I was still considering the possibility of bad beef being the cause of it all, of course.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER XVI

The following morning, I nervously checked the newspaper stands we had on campus at school, looking for the Daily Planet. Once I found it and bought a copy, I exhaled nervously and closed my eyes. I finally looked on the front page, seeing...the other team's write-up. I called Jimmy, saying, "Dude, the other team got the spot on the front page." "What?!" said Jimmy, panicking, "What do we do?" "Go in to work and ask Mr. White about it, I guess," I said, sighing, "I'll meet you there." I hung up, walking to the Daily Planet. I was immediately met by Lois, who was also holding a copy of the newspaper. "You see this?" she said, "Ours didn't get in! We'll never make it! What if Mr. White's going to fire us? What if..." I interrupted, "Lois, we'll be fine." I looked her in the eye, letting her know I was serious. Lois looked dejected, saying, "I need a hug." I obliged, and Lois said softly, "Thanks." A warmth in my chest was rising steadily, and I said, "Y-you're welcome. Anytime." We separated just as Jimmy walked in. He looked like he had gotten past his panic. He raised his eyebrows, and I said, "Not what you're thinking." "Let me tell you, that's just a gateway hug," said Jimmy, "It'll lead to more hugs, and longer hugs, and the next thing you know, then comes baby in a baby carriage." I flicked Jimmy's ear, saying, "Yeah, right." Lois simply ignored him. Jimmy smiled, putting his arms around our shoulders and saying, "Ah, come on, guys! It's just a bit o' fun. Lighten up!" "Kind of hard to do that when our jobs are on the line," said Lois, sneering. I rolled my eyes, annoyed but happy that at least one of us wasn't feeling terrible.

We walked to the elevator, going to the top floor. When we got there, we looked around, and Lois furrowed her brow. "What is it?" I asked. "That guy," said Lois. She pointed to a man with messy red hair and wearing a red tuxedo, eating a Caesar salad. At the time, he was unfamiliar, but now I know he was Alexander. He waved, saying, "You guys interns, or something?" Lois nodded, saying, "We all go to college here." Alexander nodded, continuing, "You covering the new story, about that superhero everyone's talking about?" "No, that's a bigger team," I said. Alexander continued, "Do you...know this superhero guy?" "No," said Jimmy, keeping his cool. Alexander finished, "All right then. I don't have any business here. Good day." As Alexander walked past me, I felt a small, sharp pain on the left side of my neck. I looked behind me, seeing Alexander taking another bite of his salad as he walked out. He walked into the elevator, and as the doors closed, I started feeling a little queasy. I tried to shake it off, leaning on a desk. "Clark?" said Jimmy, "You feeling okay?" "I don't know," I said, "I feel a little...diz..." I was interrupted by a stream of vomit erupting from my mouth. I fell to the floor, the physical strain taking a toll. I spit, realizing that some of the vomit was in fact blood. Jimmy rushed over to me, whispering, "Has something like this ever happened before?" "No," I said weakly, "I've never thrown up in my life before." "Lois," said Jimmy, turning to Lois, "I'm going to go after that guy. I think something's up. You stay here and take care of Clark." Lois nodded, and Jimmy sprinted to the elevator, trying to get out of the building as fast as possible.

Jimmy ran out from the lobby, seeing Alexander standing by the sidewalk. He ran up to Alexander and forcefully turned him around. He said, "What'd you do to my friend?" "None of your concern," said Alexander, "But I guess this means he's throwing up?" "Yeah," said Jimmy, "And you'd better tell me how to stop it!" "Can't do that," said Alexander, "I've already done what I needed to do. Meanwhile, you have to get your friend to the hospital. See you." He walked off, ignoring Jimmy's angry shouting. He waved back to Jimmy, hailing a taxi and getting away. Jimmy ran back inside, shouting, "THE GUY GOT AWAY!" Lois was trying to help me up. She said, "That guy doesn't matter right now. I've called 911." Mr. White had stepped out of his office while Jimmy was out to see what was going on. He said, "Did anyone see what happened?" A man said, "I-I saw that guy move. His hand went up to Clark's neck, but I didn't see what he was holding." "It felt like a needle," I said, groaning, "He might've injected me with something." "Why?" asked Lois. I shook my head. I had no idea. I drifted into unconsciousness, and as I faded, I heard Lois say, "Stay with me. Stay with..." I didn't hear her voice again for what felt like only a few minutes. Eventually, I heard Lois say, "Clark? Are you all right?" I slowly opened my eyes, feeling groggy. Lois was standing right in front of me, looking worried. I noticed she had flecks of green in her blue eyes. I was unaware that I was under sedatives at the time. I smiled and said to Lois, "You're pretty." Lois' face became flushed, and she said, "I-I think the sedatives are affecting him. Let's leave him alone for now." I noticed Jimmy and Mr. White were also in the room. They all walked out, letting me recover.

About fifteen minutes later, they all walked back in to check on me. By that time, I was feeling fine. "Clark?" said Lois, confused, "You look..." "Fine?" I interrupted, "Yeah, I feel fine, too." Lois said, "Do you have any idea, at all, what happened? Maybe you've thought of something." I shook my head, saying, "No. My neck was stinging one second, and I was a projectile launcher the next. I just...don't know what could have caused it." Lois sighed and said, "Well, anyway, we have good news." Before Mr. White began speaking, I said, "You know, I meant what I said earlier, even if I was on sedatives. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Lois furrowed her brow, saying, "Um, thanks. That's...bold of you." I smiled and nodded. "All right, enough of the rom-com talk," said Mr. White, "I've got that good news she's talking about." "What is it?" I asked. "You three are staying on the paper," said Mr. White. My eyes widened, saying, "But...the write-up..." Mr. White interrupted, "To heck with the write-up. It might not have been as good as the other team's, but man, was it close. I knew you amateurs wouldn't be able to match up with a bunch of pros, but I didn't expect you to deliver as well as you did. I was just measuring how well you could do." I grinned, saying, "Thanks, Mr. White! D-do you have any stories? I could start soon!" Mr. White held up his hand, saying, "Don't worry, kid. You've earned yourself paid leave." He gestured to Jimmy and Lois, saying, "You all have." We all looked at each other with smiles on our faces. Suddenly, Alexander and whatever he did to me didn't seem to matter. But little did we know how much it did matter.

Brainiac was staying in the hotel room Alexander was using. He was waiting for the results from Alexander. Soon enough, Alexander walked in, saying, "It worked. It's definitely your guy." "He fell ill?" asked Brainiac. "If by that you mean he violently threw up," said Alexander, "then yes, he fell ill." "It is him, indeed," said Brainiac. "Yeah, I just said that," said Alexander. Alexander stared at Brainiac for a few seconds, saying, "Why'd you only let me injure him? I thought you wanted him dead." "I do," said Brainiac, "But I must finish him myself, face to face. I want mine to be the last face he sees." Alexander raised his eyebrows, saying, "Brutal. By the way..." He held up the sharp sliver of kryptonite that Brainiac had removed from his own head for their little test. He finished, "How'd you know this would work?" "Kryptonite falling into the wrong hands wasn't my creators' only motivation for hiding it," said Brainiac, "Several of the variations had useless or dangerous effects, I would imagine. The kind that powers me didn't seem to affect Kryptonians, but my creators overlooked what radiation from your sun might do to kryptonite or a Kryptonian. I knew that my creator's son was somewhere at the Daily Planet, but I did not know who he was, specifically. This was the only way to know for sure. It makes me glad that I gave you a description of what he probably looks like. Anyway, I ran the calculations, and the changes your sun brings to both kryptonite and Kryptonian are deadly to the latter. Once a Kryptonian comes near kryptonite, they weaken. The amount I gave you wouldn't be effective if it was simply placed near him. But if you were to puncture him with it..." Alexander nodded, saying, "The place becomes reminiscent of The Exorcist." Brainiac was confused. "Oh," said Alexander, "It's a movie. It has copious amounts of projectile vomit." Brainiac said, "Why?" Alexander shrugged, saying, "Something about a demon, I don't know." Brainiac was still confused.

That afternoon, after Jimmy and I got out of the hospital and to our dorm, I got in my costume and prepared to fly to the Fortress of Solitude. When I told Jimmy, he said, "Are you going to try to find out about what happened to you?" "Yeah," I said, "I know a guy who might be able to help." "There's somebody else at this Fortress place?" asked Jimmy. "Uh-huh," I said, "You'll meet him whenever I decide to take you there." "All right, see you later," said Jimmy. I nodded, flying out our window at top speed so no one saw me. I reached the Fortress in even less time than before, entering and walking up to Kelex. "What is it?" he asked. I explained what happened at the Daily Planet. "Well, nothing could do that except..." said Kelex. He froze, saying, "Oh, no. Not good." He went quiet for a few seconds, eventually saying, "Brainiac is powered by a piece of rock blasted with radioactivity. It has no name, and your father and Zod tried six times to create it before they came across the right one. I just ran the calculations, and the sun here makes it deadly to you. Brainiac has it in his head, and he can access it easily. He probably chipped off a sharp piece for his ally to stab you with. That way, you'd be weakened, but at first, it wouldn't seem like anything's amiss." "What about those six other kinds?" I asked, "Does he have those?" "No," said Kelex, "Your father and Zod mentioned them, but not their effects. Brainiac doesn't know how to find them." "Would he use the stuff against me in a battle?" I asked nervously. "No, Brainiac's too honorable," said Kelex, "He'd want to beat you with his own two hands. This was probably just to confirm who you are." I hung my head, knowing this meant Brainiac could find me even faster.

"So, now what, then?" I asked. Kelex said, "Just wait. He might come after you in the next twelve hours, he might come after you in the next week. He'll try to make a grand entrance, no matter how long he takes." "So, without that piece, will he be weaker?" I asked. "He can't graft it back on to the chunk that powers him," said Kelex, "So, yes. But only slightly. I can't tell how much weaker he'll be. In all likelihood, he'll still be a huge challenge." "Thank you, Kelex," I said. Kelex put his hand on my shoulder, saying, "Are you sure you're ready to go back? Brainiac knows who you are now, and where you work." "I have to go back," I said, "What if Brainiac decides to try to get me out in the open by going on a rampage? I can't let anyone get hurt just because I'm scared." Kelex took a second to respond, saying, "You're growing up to be just like your father." I nodded, flying out of the Fortress. As I flew back to the university, I said to myself, "I'll be waiting, you green bucket of bolts." I flew ever faster, gradually building up the resolve to battle Brainiac whenever he came. I was ready. Like I told Kelex, I had to protect the people around me. Most of all, I knew I needed to protect my only two friends: Lois and Jimmy. I broke the sound barrier as the thought of Lois' eyes came to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I WON'T BE AVAILABLE TO POST NEXT SATURDAY, AS I WILL BE AT CiY: MOVE THE WHOLE WEEK. I WON'T HAVE MY PHONE WITH ME, SO I WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTACT YOU, EITHER.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER XVII

I landed right in the middle of the city, on a roof. I sat with my legs crossed. "I'm willing to wait," I said to myself. Across town, Brainiac was floating above the skyline. "The signal has been strengthened voluntarily," he said, "Interesting." He slowly flew over the buildings, staring down at the people of Metropolis. He saw a little girl skipping a few feet in front of her mother, holding a balloon. He saw a young, married couple, walking and holding hands. He saw a group of boys playing baseball together in a park, a group of best friends. And finally, he took a look at the Lexcorp building. Though he was a being void of recognizable human emotions, he knew of them and how they functioned. He had been inside the Lexcorp building, and had seen its founder. Unlike the regular, everyday, warm, human behaviors he had seen while he flew overhead, the inside of the building felt dead and cold. It felt like the underbelly of human nature. "If indeed the people of Earth are to be devoured by the cancer of their own wrongdoing," said Brainiac voiced his thoughts, "It shall start here." He was distracted from the building because of a nine-year-old boy with no hair, who was stargazing. He was poking his telescope outside the window of his small room in the small apartment he and his parents lived in. He looked out his window just as Brainiac was passing overhead.

He pointed at Brainiac, shouting, "Are you an alien?!" "...Not quite, child," said Brainiac. The boy said, "So, are you a robot?" "Yes," said Brainiac. "Cool," said the boy, "My name's Trevor. What's yours?" "Brainiac," answered Brainiac. Trevor asked, "Why do you look sad?" "This is how my face was built," said Brainiac. Trevor said, "Wow. That must be terrible. Can you try smiling?" "I can," said Brainiac, smirking slightly. "Try smiling more," said Trevor, "I do." Brainiac nodded. Trevor said, "Well, it looks like you're trying to go somewhere. I'll leave you alone. Bye!" He waved. Brainiac waved back, flying off. He said to himself, "Hmm. As long as that boy lives, perhaps my projection of humanity's survival is...wrong." He picked up speed, flying towards the building I was sitting on. As he saw me from a distance, he stopped in midair. I shouted to him, "Are you ready to start?" "I may very well be," said Brainiac, "But you are not. I have gotten used to waiting. I will allow you to ready yourself." He flew over to the building and sat opposite from me, finishing, "We shall begin at nightfall." I said, "Are you sure you're just letting me get ready? Maybe there's a part of you that knows my death isn't important. Are you sure you haven't realized that your little mission is just malice carried over from Krypton? You're all about preservation unless it's proved useless." Brainiac clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes firmly set on me.

He said, "Did you pay attention to your father's appearance?" "What?" I said. "Do not assume I am ignorant, or incompetent," said Brainiac, "I know where you received the garments you are wearing. I know of the Fortress and its function. I know of Kelex. And I know of your drive to find out about yourself. Kelex has shown you an image of your father. I repeat my inquiry: did you pay attention to your father's appearance?" Brainiac delivered his statements like they'd been prepared. He was quick, emphatic, and clear. It took me off guard. I stuttered while I thought back. Eventually, I said, "Y-yes. Why?" "If you really had, you would know why," said Brainiac, "Did you notice his face?" "Yeah, it was right there," I said, getting irritated. "I do not think you understand," said Brainiac, "More specific than his face, did you notice his expression?" I thought about it. The hologram Kelex had shown me featured an expression of seriousness. There was no smile, and his eyes were cold. "What's your point?" I said. "That was the only image your father left for you," said Brainiac, "And yes, he did love you. But all the same, he did not smile. Have you considered why?" I gulped. "No," I said. Brainiac said, "It is because the Kryptonians no longer valued the same things humans still do: happiness and the expression thereof. At least, it was not a priority. Krypton was brought to its destruction because the people let themselves fall into a monotonous life. There was nothing left for them to do. They made war with each other, because in place of their happiness, there was hostility. And weapons became the prime business. Death was what the culture truly revolved around. Your father, though more sensible than most, was still touched by the sadistic demands of his day. Kandor, however, still saw constantly smiling faces, unlike the others. That is why it and its citizens now reside within my chest. The majority of the Kryptonians lacked an element of expression, poisoning their world. I must assume that you will do the same." I stared at Brainiac. I understood his response, but it was still nagging at me.

I made eye contact with him, saying, "That doesn't make any sense. You think that because I'm my father's son, I'll somehow poison Earth with unhappiness? No way. This doesn't have anything to do with me. It has something to do with my dad. What is it you hate about him?" Brainiac responded, "I refuse to answer. I have given you time, and you are wasting it with this exchange. I will not speak until the sun dips below the horizon." I could easily tell Brainiac was avoiding the question. I didn't try to pursue it further, though. After all, if he was willing to wait for eighteen years to meet me, he'd be willing to wait to speak for a few hours. I occasionally drummed my fingers, quite honestly bored. I thought about Brainiac's long spiel about why I have to die. He put so much emphasis on emotion. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. It's so obvious now, looking back on it, but sitting on that rooftop, seeing his stone-cold, smooth expression, I couldn't get a bead on it. As night approached, and the sun's light grew red, I was mentally steeling myself. Brainiac was obviously planning. He didn't look directly at me. Instead, his gaze was directed just over my head. I could see the gears or whatever was in there turning. He was probably devising a whole playbook, anticipating every move. My resolve weakened after seeing that. I knew I had a superior opponent, and I knew that whatever I did during our battle, he'd know how to respond perfectly. Eventually, it became pitch black, and Brainiac stood. He looked towards me and said, "It is time." "I don't want this fight to happen near any people," I said, "I want to go to the arctic." "To the Fortress, then?" asked Brainiac. "Yes," I said. "As you wish," said Brainiac, "For I do not wish harm on any human, as you do." "Why would you care?" I asked him, puzzled. "Everything about them that isn't Kryptonian," said Brainiac, "And a little boy named Trevor." I furrowed my brow.

"What?" I said, "Before we go, you have to explain who this Trevor is." "He is a boy I saw flying over your city," said Brainiac, "He was looking out of his home towards the stars, as though he dreamed of visiting them one day. He made it known to me his effort to smile more. Unlike the Kryptonians and their doomed world, where all had no hope, though they denied it, this boy seems to hold hope like a rare stone." I said, "So? I bet every little kid would do something like that. What made the difference?" "This little boy had no hair," said Brainiac, "He is terminally ill. He seemed well enough that he will live for several more years, enough to make an impact, but it does not change the fact that he does not have long. And yet, with such a burden on his young shoulders, he still endeavors to dream, and to smile. He still values his life, as fragile as it is. That...is why no humans will be harmed in our battle. Life is still sacred here. It was not on Krypton." "I still don't..." I began. Brainiac interrupted, "Enough. Words are no longer necessary. It is time for us to travel to our battleground." We flew as fast as we could from the rooftop to the arctic. I was surprised that I was able to go slightly faster than Brainiac. It didn't reassure me, however. It wasn't like running away would stop him. And besides, I still didn't know how strong he was. As we reached the huge Fortress, I landed first, waiting only a couple seconds for Brainiac. Brainiac landed more gracefully than I did, turning towards the Fortress and saying, "I'm afraid that even in this hostile situation, I must ask you for help, Kal-El." I furrowed my brow, doubtful. Eventually, however, I gestured for him to go on.

A minute later, I was walking through the entrance to the Fortress, carrying the shrunken city of Kandor. Brainiac entered just behind me. Kelex was immediately alarmed, saying loudly, "What's going on?! What's Brainiac doing here?!" Brainiac began before I could, "Kelex, do not be troubled. This is simply preparation for my battle with Kal-El. I do not want the people of Kandor to come to any harm. If I am to be the victor of this battle, I must keep the city safe in order to study it. However, if Kal-El is to win, then he may keep it here for whatever purpose he wishes." Kelex looked to me, saying, "Why are you agreeing to this?" "I don't want anyone hurt, either," I said. I sighed, knowing that what I had agreed to with Brainiac would make Kelex flip. I continued, "Kelex...if I don't make it, give Brainiac control of the Fortress." Kelex shouted loudly in Kryptonian, probably cursing. Eventually, he calmed down a little bit, saying, "I hate this, but I have to obey. Jor-El programmed me to do what you ask. But how do you know that Brainiac won't try to destroy the world with this place?" "I have made my intentions known," said Brainiac, "I will not harm any humans from this place, if indeed I take it as my own." Kelex sighed as well as a robot could, saying, "Fine. If Brainiac wins, he gets this place, but only if he promises to blow my head off first. I'm not worth anything without someone to help. And Brainiac doesn't need any." Brainiac looked at Kelex, saying, "I shall do as you say." "Good," said Kelex, "Then that's settled. You can put the city...here." As he said this, a small platform rose up from the floor. I placed Kandor on its surface.

Kelex looked to me and said, "You'd better not die." "I'll try not to," I said. I turned to Brainiac, saying, "Are you ready?" "Who do you think you are asking?" said Brainiac. I nodded, nervously tightening my jaw and leading the way out of the Fortress. Brainiac and I stopped, standing ten feet apart, facing each other. "I have no desire to make this easy," said Brainiac. "Neither do I," I said. We both clenched our fists, running towards each other at top speed. Our eyes met as we each raised a fist, ready to clash on the icy surface we stood on. Meanwhile, in our dorm room, Jimmy was sitting on his bed. He called Lois, asking, "Hey, Lois, have you seen Clark?" "No," said Lois, "Maybe he's at a party." "He's not the type," said Jimmy, sighing, "Whatever it is, something feels off. I just hope he's okay." "Wherever he is, I bet he's fine," said Lois, trying to reassure Jimmy, "He's a tough guy. We all know that. I don't think there's any need to worry." Jimmy looked out the window I'd gone through several times before. He fell silent, and after a while, Lois said, "Jimmy? Are you still there?" Jimmy snapped out of it, saying, "Y-yeah." "What is it?" asked Lois. "I think I might know where Clark is," said Jimmy, "But I can't get there." "Oh, come on," said Lois, "It can't be that far." "You'd be surprised, believe me," said Jimmy, "I'll call you when I see him next." He hung up without waiting for a response from Lois. He stood up from his bed, looking out the window again and saying, "Be safe, buddy." He sighed as Brainiac and I met, and our battle began.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER XVIII

Several hours before, Alexander stormed out of the elevator at the Lexcorp building at the top floor. He walked right past Mercy and burst through the doors to Luthor's office. He was in a meeting, and Alexander hopped on the table, kicking a glass of water off the table and yelling, "EVERYONE OUT! I NEED TO TALK WITH HIM!" He pointed at Luthor as he said this. Luthor, though he was surprised, gestured for everyone else to leave. Luthor said, "Alexander, get down. What is it?" Alexander got down, saying, "That was just a show. I really needed them out." "What could be so urgent?" asked Luthor impatiently. Alexander said, "It's Brainiac. He's been gone from our room for a couple hours now. I don't know when he left or where he is." "Well, where were you?" asked Luthor. "I was...playing golf," said Alexander, slightly embarrassed. Luthor said, "Well, what's the big problem with Brainiac being gone? I thought you were on-board with his mission." "Well, yeah, but I didn't want him to leave this soon," said Alexander, "At first, I wanted him to finish as fast as possible, but he was getting more interesting than the guy he's after. And he just up and leaves! I didn't get the chance to study him further!" "Why would that matter?" asked Luthor. Alexander answered, "If I got the chance to figure out how he works, I would be able to create something huge! But now, I don't have that chance." He sighed. Luthor said, "Just let it go, then. You'll find something else to toy with. You always do." Alexander looked Luthor in the eye.

"You don't understand," said Alexander, "I was too excited. The ball's already rolling. There's already a plan in place. And it should be going down now." "What do you mean?" asked Luthor. Alexander sighed again, saying, "I had a project in mind. I'd need kryptonite to complete it, and now that I don't have it, I'm afraid I'm going to have to prepare differently." "Tell me about it," said Luthor. Alexander sat down, beginning his tale. A few months prior, with Brainiac with him, Alexander contacted a soldier named John Corben. John was a man stricken with cancer, which meant his discharge from the army. He had gone all over social media, talking about how he still had a drive to fight, and more importantly, a drive to live. The truth was that John was sadistic towards his enemies, having been tried for torture several times, though he was never convicted. Alexander found out about him, and he was very interested. When Alexander called, John immediately answered, saying, "What?" "I have something very intriguing for you," said Alexander, "Don't ask my name. Don't ask where I am. All that should matter to you is that I can give you a bit of an upgrade." John coughed, saying, "I'm listening." Alexander said, "I have a material that could allow you to improve your broken down body." "I'm willing to do anything," said John excitedly. "I'm glad you said that, because there's a rather important stipulation," said Alexander, "I've gotten to study this compound a little, and unfortunately, this compound is harmful to humans." "Then why do you say it would help me?" asked John, irritated. Alexander waited a few seconds to respond.

Alexander sighed, saying, "Look, you'll just have to trust me on this one." "Sorry, no can do," said John, hanging up. And there, Alexander ended his tale. "And that's important, why?" said Luthor. "I knew from the start that he was the guy," said Alexander, "Since he wasn't going to do it voluntarily, I've already started something to make it involuntarily." "What're you doing with him?" asked Luthor, suspicious. "Kryptonite's a power source," said Alexander, "I didn't get far enough to tell him, but we'd need to remove his heart and have a metallic cage around the kryptonite so he won't be hurt. But now that he's refused, we might need more metal." Luthor raised his eyebrows. "What're you going to call him?" asked Luthor. "What?" asked Alexander. "You know, you got Brainiac," said Luthor, "What about this guy?" "Well, technically I didn't name Brainiac," said Alexander, "But I did have a name for it. I decided to call it Metal 0." "Metallo?" asked Luthor. "No, it's a zero, it's just pronounced..." began Alexander. He stopped. "Actually, Metallo doesn't sound half bad," said Alexander, "I might use that." "Where's this John guy now?" asked Luthor. "Metropolis General Hospital," said Alexander, "I have a man inside that'll get the job done for me." Luthor nodded, asking, "Is that all?" Alexander nodded back, getting up and walking out. As he walked past the men who'd been in the meeting, he said, "You guys can head back in." As they walked in, Luthor greeted one of them, saying, "I'm sorry about the interruption, Mr. Queen. By the way, how's the effort to rebuild your son's museum going?" The doors were shut behind Alexander as he walked out, running his hand through his hair and sighing repeatedly.

Meanwhile, a weak, pale, hairless man was lying in a hospital bed. He had a nurse changing his IVs at the moment. She asked, "How're you feeling today, John?" "Pretty bad," said John, "But yesterday I was feeling like Hell, so there's some improvement." "Good," said the nurse. She smiled at him before leaving. She walked past a doctor she'd never seen before. "I'm sorry," she said, "Are you new here?" The doctor nodded nonchalantly. While the nurse was slightly suspicious, she walked past the doctor. The doctor walked into John's room. John said, "You're not the doctor assigned to my case." The doctor nodded, pulling a pipe grenade out of his jacket. He activated it and dropped it, walking out. John was too stunned to react as the doctor ran away, as fast as possible. The grenade exploded. Only a minute after, the doctor, now proven to be Alexander's henchman, charged into the room, wheeling John's severely wounded body outside. As he passed numerous hospital staff members, he pulled a gun, turning off the safety and making sure that everyone stayed back. He took John outside of the building to a waiting black van. The side door flew open as two men jumped out. "Get him up in there, now!" shouted the henchman. They lifted John into the van, closing the door. The henchman's phone buzzed. It was Alexander. "Boss?" he answered. "Has it gone down?" asked Alexander. "Yeah, boss," said the henchman, "He's all ready for you." "I hope so," said Alexander. Alexander hung up, staring at the molten steel he'd gotten in a last-ditch effort to get some form of kryptonite. Since kryptonite had been created using radiation, he figured irradiating another substance might work using the shard he'd gotten from Brainiac.

He watched as he carefully lowered the shard into the middle of the steel, waiting. He poured the steel into a spherical mold. After a little bit, he cooled it off using water, putting on a protective suit and removing the mold. "Please work," he muttered to himself. He looked at the spherical, glowing green steel orb. He sighed with relief, picking up the orb in the palm of his hand. "Now we just find out how you'll work with John," he said. Soon after, the van pulled up to the front of the building he had housed himself in. He walked out the front, turning to some of the men and asking, "Would any of you know how to perform surgery?" The henchman who had posed as a doctor raised his hand. As it were, this one was actually a former surgeon who'd been fired on malpractice charges. Alexander pointed to him, saying, "See, I already knew that. Get him in here." He had already prepared a surgical table, with all the tools laid out. The rest of them carried in John and laid him on the table. "Yeah," said Alexander, looking at John's extensive wounds, "We'll definitely need a lot more metal. Thankfully, I stocked up. The rest of you, get cracking. Gather up whatever we need." He looked at the surgeon, saying, "Put him under. We're going to need to remove a lot of stuff." The surgeon nodded, giving John heavy anesthesia. Alexander turned to the other henchmen, saying, "Someone hand me a surgical saw." He was given one, after which he began to sever John's right arm and right lower leg. Once finished with that, he said to the surgeon, "I'm going to work on replacing these while you remove anything else on that side. Get to it now." The surgeon began his work without another word, carefully removing substantial parts of John's left side.

Meanwhile, Brainiac and I met. Our fists smashed together, creating a huge shockwave and cracking a nearby iceberg. Large boulders of ice fell into the freezing waters below with humongous splashes. One managed to drive itself onto the ice floe Brainiac and I were standing on, making a crack travel to the both of us. We drew back, and I shook out my hand, saying, "You've got quite a punch." "As do you," said Brainiac, moving around his fingers. They creaked, an indicator that I'd damaged them. The ice floe began to split, so I jumped across the crack, fist ready. Brainiac deftly stepped aside. I landed on the ice, my fist going through a foot of the ice and into the water. I withdrew it quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid Brainiac. He ran towards me like a punter, and kicked me just like one, too, directly in the stomach. "URRGH," I groaned loudly, as I flew across the ice floe. Eventually, I came down on a sharp piece of ice jutting out from floe. The sharp piece crumbled beneath me, but it was still painful. "ACH," I gasped. Brainiac quickly jumped over to me, landing a punch to my face. I spit out blood, kicking Brainiac off of me. I flew fifteen feet into the air, aiming my heat vision at Brainiac. He threw his arm in front of his face, his arm taking the full force of the heat vision. It didn't do much, at the most making his arm steam. I flew towards him, heat vision still activated, and grabbed him by his neck. I turned off the heat vision, slamming his head into the ice. He grimaced. "You're a robot," I said through my bloodied mouth and labored breathing, "How do you...feel pain?" "Artificial nerves," said Brainiac, strained, "An android is not very effective if it can't feel itself being damaged. Otherwise, it would just allow itself to be destroyed." He raised up his right hand, forming a blade.

It broke my skin, going about an inch deep. I jumped back, seething with pain. I lunged forwards as Brainiac attempted to get up, delivering an uppercut which sent Brainiac flipping. He flipped twice and flew about twenty feet away, landing on his back. I sped over, grabbing him by his left leg and spinning. I let go after a few spins, sending him into another iceberg. He hit the iceberg with a loud and deep BOOM, lodged in its side. He pushed himself out, small pebbles of ice rolling off his shoulders. He ripped a chunk of ice out of the iceberg, hurling it at me. I thought fast, catching the two-hundred-mile-per-hour projectile. I grunted with effort, sliding backwards with the force of the throw. I tossed the ice aside, just in time to catch Brainiac's fist. He had flown towards me in an effort to punch me. He tried punching me with his other hand, but I caught it as well. We struggled for a few seconds, neither of us giving way. I kneed him in the chest, sending him reeling. When he stopped, he glared at me. He said, "You are not as weak as I had thought." "Yeah, I've been known to hold back a little," I said. I ran towards him, tackling him football-style. We landed on the ground, and I straddled his chest, delivering punch after punch to his face. Eventually, scratches and small dents appeared on Brainiac's face, but he grabbed me by my costume, throwing me ten feet sideways. I stood, saying, "Come at me, bro." Brainiac charged, and we resumed our battle.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER XIX

Instead of trying to tackle me like I'd thought, Brainiac leaped into the air, planting his right foot on my head and jumping off, performing a front flip. Halfway through the flip, he fired two energy bolts from his hands. I felt them hit my back and propel me forwards. My back burned, and I could hear my costume sizzle. Fortunately, the cape took the brunt of the bolts, and my skin was left untouched. However, I felt for the cape, realizing there was a massive hole in it. "Great," I muttered, ripping it off. "You know, Kal-El, I have not seen your face," said Brainiac. I pulled off my mask and hood, turning towards Brainiac. "Now you have," I said, "Satisfied?" "Very much so, Kal-El," said Brainiac. I looked at Brainiac. He didn't look satisfied. I felt my back again. The costume was slightly burnt, but not all the way through. "Kryptonian battle dress has always been resilient," said Brainiac. I asked, "So, this is what soldiers would wear?" "Only in General Zod's faction of society," said Brainiac, "Zod was my other creator. The design for your uniform was quite possibly his contribution to the Fortress." I said, "Huh. All right, then." I ran towards him, my super speed reaching a new peak. I was going at least eighteen-hundred miles per hour. I punched him in the gut, sending quicker and quicker punches every successive time. Brainiac stumbled backwards, stunned. I leaped forward, punching him in the jaw and sending him spinning. He landed on his belly, groaning. He slowly got up, saying, "Why do you not strike me?" "I'm not going to go at you while you're down," I said. "Honorable," said Brainiac, "Yet foolish." Brainiac suddenly leaped towards my legs, taking them out from under me. He grabbed me by my right ankle, throwing me a few hundred feet into the air.

He flew upwards as I stopped my ascent. Just before I started falling, he activated his laser vision, hitting me square in the chest. I tried to get out of the lasers' path, but to no avail. I rocketed downwards, straight towards the ice floe we'd been fighting on. I cursed half a second before my back hit the ice. The speed I was traveling at combined with my virtual invulnerability meant the floe cracked at the volume of an exploding bundle of dynamite upon impact. I went straight through it, the freezing waters below slowing my descent. I was barely clinging to consciousness, blood seeping out of my mouth and drifting in ribbons with the water. My only comfort was that my costume was warm enough to keep me from dying because of the water's temperature. My eyelids felt heavy, and for a moment the thought of sleep entered my mind. I had to push it away with all my willpower. My limbs felt weak and my back stung like nothing else, but somehow, about one hundred feet below the ice floe, I managed to right myself. My Kryptonian lungs allowed my to hold my breath long enough so I could slowly make my way to the water's surface. After about two minutes of desperate, slow floundering, I managed to reach the ice floe. I reached upwards all I could, my fingers locking around the floe's edge. My other hand joined, and I pulled myself up. I gasped, blood still leaking from my mouth and landing in small drops onto the ice. I watched as the red liquid hit the floe's surface with a small tap.

I looked to my left. Brainiac sat cross-legged, twenty feet away from me. I got out of the water, staying on my hands and knees. I shivered. Brainiac stood, saying, "Ah, there was a small part of me that doubted that tactic. You are quite strong." "Tell me about it," I groaned, coughing violently. I stood, my legs shaking underneath me. At one point, my left leg gave way, and I fell. "Come on, come on," I growled to myself, "Get up. Get up!" I finally stood up, my legs planted firmly beneath me. "I'm not going to get taken down by you today," I said. "How can you be so sure?" said Brainiac, "I saw you crawl out of the water just now. You are going to lose." I clenched my jaw, raising my fists without another word. Then a thought popped into my head. I inhaled deeply, and when I exhaled, a large cloud of subzero mist emerged. It wrapped around Brainiac, freezing him in a standing position. I was extremely tired, falling backwards and trying to catch my breath. I coughed several times, tasting the blood in my mouth. The cold surface of the ice was no help to my stinging back, either. My chest heaved with every breath, my lungs feeling tight and worn. My freeze breath had taken its toll on my energy level. I heard loud cracking from Brainiac's direction. I lifted my upper body with my arms, getting into a sitting position and staring at Brainiac's frozen form.

The ice shook around Brainiac, and his eyes brightened. The ice started to slough off, and eventually, Brainiac's left arm was free, clawing at and ripping away chunks of ice. I tried to get up and use more of my freeze breath, but I could only manage a small cloud. I coughed again, my lungs feeling like fire. I collapsed again, onto my forearms and knees. I yelled with effort, getting up and squaring my feet. The ice around Brainiac finally burst, and Brainiac doubled over, gasping. "An admirable...effort," said Brainiac, labored, "But you will not...gain a respite with me. Not so easily." "It was worth a try," I said weakly. "Quite," said Brainiac. With my breathing still rattling, and my limbs feeling terrible, I sighed heavily. I began to think of Lois and Jimmy. I said to myself, "I have to help people. I'm not going to die here." "Building your resolve, eh?" said Brainiac, "Attempting to push through the painful fire in your bones?" "Something like that," I said. I ran for a few feet, my legs feeling like they were filled with acid. I jumped, grunting with pain. I stopped, floating about ninety feet above Brainiac. I breathed several times, anticipating what more pain I might experience. I flew downwards at top speed, my hands clenched together. Brainiac saw me, holding up his forearm to block the blow. I screamed in aggression, swinging my hands towards Brainiac's head. His forearm took the blow, but I pushed harder, yelling even louder. The ice cracked beneath Brainiac. He fell through, with me pushing him deeper into the water.

I gripped his neck tightly with both hands. He clawed at my wrists, but I kept going. I heard a creak, and Brainiac's neck began to succumb to my grip. Brainiac eventually stopped going for my wrists, instead throwing a punch towards the side of my head. The water did little to stop the force of the punch, and I was shocked into letting go. Brainiac grappled with me as we sunk further. I suddenly got a hand onto his head, forcing my thumb into his eye. It sparked, and Brainiac shook his head in desperation, trying to get my hand off. Eventually, a green light seeped through his eye, and my hand felt paralyzed. Brainiac yelled, the water muting the sound. He grabbed me by my collar, quickly going upwards. We burst from the water, and Brainiac threw me about seventy feet to the side. He covered his damaged eye with his hand, shouting, "FOOL! I DO NOT WISH TO DEFEAT YOU CHEAPLY!" My hand felt better immediately after I had been thrown from Brainiac, and though I was still hurting all over, I got up, asking, "What is that stuff?" "One of your only weaknesses!" said Brainiac, "It is my power source, and it has been dubbed kryptonite. Do not attempt to damage my head in such a way again, otherwise you will wither and die in a matter of minutes!" "At least I blinded you a little," I said. Brainiac said, "You take no comfort in that. I do not require two eyes to defeat you." He was right. Just destroying one of his eyes was nothing compared to what he'd done to me up to that point. But instead of admitting it, I said, "I'll take what comfort I can." "Fine," said Brainiac through gritted teeth. He went towards the Fortress, coming back a minute later with a seal over his eye made from the crystal material of the Fortress.

Brainiac immediately rushed towards me. I hadn't lost my focus, thankfully, so I managed to jump over him before he hit me. I landed quickly, kicking Brainiac in the back. Brainiac lost balance, falling on his face. I quickly went over and stomped on his lower leg, breaking it. "GAH!" yelled Brainiac. He seethed, saying, "A wise move, Kal-El." Brainiac got up, his balance and movement severely compromised. "Maybe that'll level the playing field a bit," I said. Brainiac smirked, saying, "Perhaps. You are a greater combatant than I had anticipated." I cocked my head to the side, saying, "Wait. You just smiled. But it's not because you're happy, it's because you're excited to fight me more." My eyes widened, and I pointed at Brainiac, saying, "That's IT! That's why you're so desperate to kill me! It's not about that 'unhappy alien' garbage. It's about YOU. You understand human emotions, but you only have the capacity to feel the negative ones! You can feel hatred and anger, but you have no idea what it feels like to be happy, or what it feels like to laugh for real!" Brainiac stayed silent for a minute, so I continued, "That's why you hate me! You're trying to get revenge against my dad! But don't you get it? My dad's dead! There's nothing more you could do to him! Killing me doesn't give you anything! You wouldn't even be satisfied, because you can't feel satisfaction!" Brainiac clenched his jaw, lunging towards me.

Just before we clashed for the last time, I knew I had to end it. I took both my hands and grasped his head as he mercilessly beat my midsection. Thirty seconds in, I was coughing up mouthfuls of blood. "Come on," I growled. I drove my two thumbs into the middle of his forehead, the kryptonite's power already starting to weaken me. Brainiac tried to get his head out of my grip, saying, "You fool! I told you you would die in minutes!" "Well, hopefully this'll just take seconds," I said. I managed to pry open his forehead, grabbing the kryptonite. I ripped it out, and Brainiac collapsed, lifeless. I could feel my legs weaken, and just before I reached one of the holes we'd made, I collapsed, my face hitting the ice. I threw up with the strain of holding the kryptonite, the blood in my mouth grotesquely mixing in. I didn't even have the strength to throw the kryptonite, instead rolling it. "If this thing floats, I'm going to be ticked off," I groaned. The kryptonite went over the edge of the ice floe, and I watched as it sank. I rolled over onto my back, breathing heavily. I inhaled deeply, yelling, "KELEX!" I was loud enough for Kelex to hear, and he rushed over to me. He helped me stand up, saying, "Let's help you to the Fortress." Just after we went through the entrance to the Fortress, my legs gave way yet again, and I fell unconscious onto the crystalline floor.

I woke up on a floating bed, wearing stark white clothes and bandages over my wounds. Kelex was working on the computers a few feet away. I got up onto my forearms, saying, "Thanks, Kelex. Where's my costume?" "Don't worry about it, we have spares," said Kelex. He tapped a few keys on the computers, and suddenly, guns came out of the walls, aimed directly at my head. "OH, NO, NO!" shouted Kelex, "NOT WHAT I WANTED!" He frantically tapped the buttons on the computers, and eventually, the guns retracted and the walls opened up to reveal tens of new, untouched costumes. Kelex sighed as well as a robot could. He pushed past it, saying, "What now, Kal?" "Now, we keep Brainiac's body here for safekeeping," I said, "And I head home. I have to let the others know I'm safe." Kelex nodded. I put on one of the new costumes, stepping out onto the ice floe. I smiled, looking upwards. "Up, up, and away," I said, lifting off and flying towards Metropolis.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER XX

I flew to my dorm room, opening the window and floating through. Jimmy was out like a light, sitting on a chair. He'd evidently been waiting for me. I walked up to him, lightly slapping his face. "Wake up," I said quietly. Jimmy's eyes fluttered open, and he raised his head. When he saw me, his eyes brightened and he grinned. "Dude, I'm so glad you're back!" he said, "What happened?" I told him about how Brainiac and I had fought. "Nice!" said Jimmy, "What happens to Brainiac now?" "I'm not entirely sure," I said, "I'll have to find out some other time, though. I have things to do. I have to let everyone know I'm safe." "Everyone?" asked Jimmy, "Who does that include?" "Lois," I said, "...And my parents." "What?!" said Jimmy, "No way, man! They'll shut you down, for sure!" "And I'll have to accept it if they do," I said, "I have to let them know. I can't hide it forever, anyway." Jimmy sighed. He nodded after a few seconds, saying, "Fine. I'll see you when you get back." I nodded too, taking off my costume. "What's with the white clothes?" asked Jimmy. "It's all they have at the Fortress," I said. "Huh," said Jimmy, "Well, you ought to get to it, dude." I changed into regular clothes as Jimmy went to take a shower. I closed my dorm window, walking out the building. I approached the girls' dorm building. Well, one of them. I was prepared to search for a while. Though I know it's creepy, I had to fly past every window until I finally found Lois'. Luckily, her's was on the first floor. I knocked on her window a few times, seeing her sheets move slightly.

Eventually, she looked up at me, bewildered. She got up, walking to her window. She opened it, whispering angrily, "You should be glad I room alone! What the heck are you doing here?" I took a few seconds to answer. To fill the silence, I said, "You...still look great without makeup." "Thanks, I guess, but that doesn't answer my question," said Lois. I nodded, saying, "Well, um...I just wanted to let you know I'm here. And I'm safe." "Okay," said Lois. She noticed the stitches on my face. "What exactly happened?" "I fell," I said. Lois raised her eyebrows skeptically. I finished, "...Numerous times." Lois didn't seem convinced, but she said, "All right. Why'd you tell me this tonight? Couldn't it have waited?" "I didn't want to forget," I said, "And, um...I know this is sudden, but...you want to go see a movie sometime? Maybe have dinner?" "Are you seriously asking me out after creeping outside my window?" asked Lois. I slowly said, "...You could...say that." "Well, aside from this, you seem pretty trustworthy," said Lois, "So...I'll think about it. Now, get lost." I smiled in spite of the situation, nodding and walking off. Lois watched, saying to herself, "Cute, but weird. Yeah, that sounds about right." She closed the window to her room, sighing. She went back to her bed, trying to get back to sleep. She bit her nails, staring at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, I walked across the campus green, saying, "Time for a long distance flight." I flew upwards, heading towards Smallville. After a few hours, I finally touched down directly in front of my house. It wasn't nearly as late as it was in Metropolis, so my parents were still up and lights were still on. My mom was reading a cooking magazine while my dad read the newspaper. I sighed heavily, walking up to the door. I raised my fist to knock, but lowered it after a couple seconds. I was severely lacking in confidence at the moment, but I knew I had to tell them. And so, I finally knocked on the door after minutes of indecision. I heard my dad say, "Who could it be at this hour?" I heard footsteps right in front of the door, and the porch light came on. After a few seconds, the door opened, and my dad looked at me, his brow furrowed. He said, "Clark?" My mom looked up, seeing me. She gasped, quickly putting aside her magazine and running towards me. She hugged me tightly. "Whoa, Mom," I said, taken by surprise, "I've only been gone for about a week." "I know, but it feels like such a long time!" said my mom, "How'd you get here?" "I was just about to ask that," said my dad. I paused. Eventually, I said, "Maybe we should go inside before I explain." We stepped back into our living room, sitting down. I was across from my parents. I sighed, saying, "Have you guys been watching the news lately?" "Yes," said my mom, "Why?" I began fidgeting nervously, unsure how to tell them.

I eventually asked, "Have you seen anything about a...superhero?" "No," said my dad, "We've been watching it, but not all the time." "Well, recently in Metropolis, there's been a superhero they've been calling Superman," I said, "I bet you've guessed it by now...it's me." "What?" said my dad, "How?" I explained to them my Kryptonian heritage and powers. "Remember about a year ago, when I asked if we could see your old army stuff?" I asked. "Yes, vaguely," said my dad. "That was my first costume," I said. My dad stayed silent. My mom asked, "Why didn't you tell us?" "I thought you'd flip out," I said, "I was honestly scared to tell you." "Why would you be?" asked my dad. "Well, you're concerned for my safety, right?" I asked. "Yes," said my dad, "But you know what? When I was your age, I was wanting to get into the military. I wanted to help people. You're just doing the same." I looked to my mom, saying, "I bet you're not as on-board as Dad." She slowly said, "It does scare me, thinking about you going off and fighting who knows what. But...even though you're hurt, you look...happier. Maybe this is what you've been needing." "Maybe," I said. I stayed silent for a few seconds, eventually saying, "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this short. It won't be long until morning, and I have to be at work." My parents nodded, and we all stood.

We went out the door, and I looked upwards. Before I started heading back, my dad suddenly said, "Now that you know about your biological parents...what are we?" I looked towards him, smiling and saying, "Don't worry, Dad. I'm Superman. But I'm still Clark Joseph Kent." I flew upwards, going back towards the college. Soon, I flew back into my dorm room, where Jimmy was already asleep. I took a shower, thinking about what my mom said. Maybe Superman is what I needed. Maybe Superman needs me. I still think about it. After I got dressed, I got into my bed, drifting off to sleep. After only a few hours of sleep, my alarm went off, and I turned it off, groaning with exhaustion. I got dressed for work, waking up Jimmy and telling him to get ready, too. We caught a taxi just a few minutes later, going to the Daily Planet. Lois was already out front, waiting for us. "Have you thought about it?" I asked her. "Eh...give me a little more time," said Lois. Jimmy asked me, "Thought about what?" "I asked her out last night," I said. "In the middle of the night, you asked her out on a date?" asked Jimmy incredulously, raising his eyebrows. "Who knows?" I said defensively, "She hasn't decided yet. Maybe it'll work out and she'll say yes." Lois raised her eyebrow, turning and walking inside. Jimmy and I followed her, ready for another day of our dream job.

Meanwhile, Alexander was passed out on the floor of the warehouse where he'd operated on John Corben. The complicated procedure had lasted for many hours, dragging on through the night. The surgeon who'd assisted him was sleeping on a large workbench, using several rags as a makeshift pillow. The other henchmen were also sleeping, scattered around the warehouse's main room. Suddenly, Alexander's eyes snapped open, and he exclaimed, "Fried calamari!" He sat up quickly. He realized where he was, sighing, rolling his eyes, and saying, "Not going to find that here." He stood, looking over John Corben. Alexander stretched, walking over to the surgeon. He shook him slightly, saying, "Hey. Wake up." The surgeon stirred, his eyes eventually opening. He asked, "What's happening?" "We're waiting," said Alexander, "The Terminator over there hasn't woken up yet." "Is he not working?" asked the surgeon. "No," said Alexander, shaking his head slowly, "As far as I can tell, he'll function perfectly. The strain from his wounds and the operation means he could be a while, though." The surgeon sighed and asked, "So, what, do I only get paid if I stay for it?" "You got that right," said Alexander. The surgeon groaned in exasperation. "What does it matter to you if I stay?" asked the surgeon. "Oh, it doesn't matter that much to me," said Alexander, "But you don't want to miss this. It'll be really cool." The surgeon sighed but stayed, wanting the money he was promised.

Alexander watched and waited for around half an hour with the surgeon, before they heard a loud groaning coming from John's direction. Alexander grinned widely, saying, "This is it, this is it." The surgeon looked towards John. He saw John get up from the table. John's eyes had a strange green tint to them. The surgeon still had his surgical mask over his face, meaning fortunately, John wouldn't recognize him as the one who caused his injuries. John looked at Alexander, saying, "What happened to me? I feel...funny." "Then why aren't you laughing?" said Alexander jokingly, "What happened to you was that you were attacked. We fixed you up." "Why?" asked John. "Because you needed to be," said Alexander, "That's all. You can feel as suspicious as you want, but the fact remains that we saved your life." John asked, "You fixed...everything?" John looked at his hands. They looked normal. Alexander said, "Yes, everything...check under your pants when you're alone, please." John nodded, saying, "This is amazing." He looked himself up and down. He was wearing plain clothes and simple shoes. His skin looked fresher. "Did you get rid of my cancer?" he asked. "Yes, while we were at it," said Alexander. John turned around, seeing the copious amounts of blood and blood bags all over. "Must've been messy," said John. "Yeah, it'll make for some interesting stories in the future," said Alexander. John turned back around, facing Alexander.

John said, "Now what?" "Now we return you to the hospital," said Alexander, "You still need to rest, and they also need to know you're not dead. You're free to take the van." He tossed John the keys. John said, "Thank you." He walked past Alexander and the surgeon, getting into the van outside and driving off. Alexander went around, waking up the other henchmen. He turned to each of them, giving them large wads of cash. He said to all of them, "I expect never to see any of you again. Have yourselves a good day." All of the henchmen except the surgeon exited the warehouse. The surgeon asked Alexander, "Why'd you just let him go?" "John?" said Alexander, "Well...John doesn't know that underneath all the fake skin we gave him, he's filled with metal and little space rock in his chest. And he won't know for a while. Once he realizes it, though, he's going to be confused, angry. He's going to stir something up, and he's going to attract Superman's attention. It'll be interesting." "So, this is some kind of experiment?" asked the surgeon. "Oh yes," said Alexander, "And what we find out will be of extreme importance." The surgeon nodded, walking out. Alexander sighed contentedly. "Get yourself ready, Supes," said Alexander to no one in particular. Meanwhile, John Corben was driving down the highway, enjoying his new lease on life. He rolled down the van's window, feeling the cool breeze on his face. Or at least, that was what he was attempting. It was strange. On the left side of his face, and his hands too. It was like he couldn't feel anything, like he was detached from everything else. As if he was almost entirely composed of metal.

END OF BOOK ONE

COMING AUGUST 15TH, 2015 - MAN OF TOMORROW: BLACKENED!

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY FOLLOWERS!


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